


Darkness in the Sun

by creativewriter17



Series: The Many Lives of Charlotte Buchanan [1]
Category: Hart of Dixie, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alive Elijah Mikaelson, Dead Klaus Mikaelson, Dead Rebekah Mikaelson, F/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Small Hart of Dixie Cameo, Very AU, Written Way Before Season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-03-26 07:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 69,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3841567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creativewriter17/pseuds/creativewriter17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlotte Buchanan is back in her hometown of Mystic Falls with a big secret. She has cancer and only six months to live. What happens when she moves in with the Salvatore brothers and slowly falls for the eldest Salvatore brother? Drama is sure to ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Summary and Descriptions

Setting: Post Klaus Drama, DamonxOC

Summary: Charlotte Buchanan is back in her hometown of Mystic Falls with a big secret. She has cancer and only six months to live. What happens when she moves in with the Salvatore brothers for those six months, but nobody know about her cancer, not even her best friends Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena? What happens when she slowly but surely falls for the eldest Salvatore brother? Will she be as okay with dying as she thought?

Name: Charlotte Buchanan

Age: 21

Appearance: lean and tall, medium length layered blonde hair, cobalt blue eyes

Characteristics: loves to sing and dance, lived in Mystic Falls until she was 15, was best friends with Caroline at first because of their parents' friendship, then became best friends with Elena and Bonnie, very pessimistic and sarcastic.


	2. Back in Mystic Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte Buchanan returns to her hometown of Mystic Falls after almost 7 years. She reunites with the people she left behind.

Chapter 1

Charlotte's POV

 

I took deep breath as I walked into my old town. Not much had changed from what I can visibly see. I looked around to see if I saw any of my old friends. No Bonnie, Elena, or Caroline in sight. Or Jeremy, Tyler, or Matt for that matter. Not any person that I know in sight. I sighed tiredly, contemplating on giving up and going back to my hotel. I gave downtown one more quick glance before I gave up. Good thing I did or I would not have seen Jeremy outside of the Mystic Grill. I smiled in relief and started walking towards the busy restaurant. I walked in and saw Jeremy in a uniform bustling over tables. I chuckled and shook my head amused.

"Hey Jeremy, do you have any idea where a girl can find her so-called best friends around here?" I asked him as soon as I approached him. I looked up and saw his face scrunch up in confusion as he tried to figure out who I was. I smirked as his confused look changed into a bright, knowing smile.

"Charlotte!" he shouted as he tossed his things on the table next to us and scooped me up into a big bear hug. I laughed as he spun me around.

"Good to know that I was missed by someone." I said sarcastically.

"What are you doing here, Charlie?" he asked me amused by my sarcasm.

"What does it look like I'm doing here, Jer?" I asked him rolling my eyes.

"You moved back here?" he asked incredulously. I nodded happily. "For now." I added simply. "That's amazing! Have you seen Elena or Bonnie or Caroline?" he asked me.

"Nope you're the first person I've seen since I got in about twenty minutes ago." I told him.

"Aww, Charlie. I'm touched that you would pick me to visit first after so many years." He said mock serious.

"Aww, Jeremy. I'm touched that you would think that you are that high up on my list of important people." I said teasing him. He pouted at me. "I'm just kidding, Baby Gilbert." I said innocently. He scowled at my nickname for him.

"Jeremy, what are you doing standing around-" Matt started to say, but stopped as soon as he saw me.

"Hey, Mattie. Still as bossy as ever I see." I said sweetly to him.

"Charlie?" he said unsurely.

"The one and only." I said smiling at him.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" he asked as he came over and hugged me. I hugged him back and smiled sadly at his question.

"I came over for a visit." I said half-lying.

"How long are you staying?" he asked me.

"Planning on staying until my birthday, but I'm not sure yet." I answered half-lying again.

"But that's like six months. You're planning on staying in a hotel for six months." Jeremy said incredulously.

"Yeah, so?" I asked confused as to what he was implying.

"You can't stay in a hotel for six months, Charlie. Not if Elena or Caroline find out." He smirked.

I gasped and narrowed my eyes. "You wouldn't." I said threateningly.

"You know I would." He said smirking.

"Jeremy, you know how I feel about these things." I whined.

"You'll get over it eventually." He said nonchalantly to me. "Hey Matt, I'm going to take off and bring Charlie over to Elena." Jeremy said calling over to Matt. Matt nodded over to us and Jeremy ran over to the back and quickly got out of his uniform.

"Okay, ready to go?" Jeremy asked me. I nodded smiling, happy to finally be able to see my best friends again.

Jeremy and I hopped in his car and he drove us to his and Elena's house. We pulled up and I hopped out with Jeremy. We walked in and I saw Elena in the living room.

"Hey Elena, guess who I found wandering around town." Jeremy said as we walked in the living room. I smiled and waved enthusiastically.

"Charlie!" she shrieked at the same time I shrieked "Elena!" we hugged each other while giggling childishly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked happily.

"I came for a visit. I figured that six years was long enough for you to miss me." I said smiling jokingly.

"Oh my god, this is so amazing. How long are you staying?' she asked.

"Oh, you're going to love this answer Elena." Jeremy quipped.

"Zip it, Baby Gilbert." I hissed at him. He shrugged innocently.

"What? What's going on?" Elena asked confused.

"Elena, don't freak out okay?" I told her.

"Freak out?" she asked confused. "Charlie, what's going on?" she asked suspiciously.

"Okay, okay. So like I said don't freak out, but I'm staying here for six months." I said to her.

"Okay, so why would I freak out over that?" she asked confused.

"I just might be staying in a hotel for said six months, but it's no big deal." I said quickly hopping she didn't catch that last part.

"What?" she said incredulously.

"Lena, I told you not to freak out." I whined uncharacteristically.

"Char, how can I not freak out? You are planning on staying in a over priced hotel instead at a free friends house." She said trying to reason with me.

"Yeah, I know. But you know how I hate to burden people." I said unceremoniously sitting on the couch.

"Well, don't worry, Char. I'll find some place for you to stay while you are here." She said confidently.

"Lena,-" I started but her look cut me off. I cringed at her motherly glare.

"Fine, Elena." I said defeated.

"Great! Now let's meet Caroline and Bonnie at Stefan's house." She said standing up.

"Who's Stefan?" I asked smirking curiously.

"He's Elena's boyfriend." Jeremy answered waggling his eyebrows at her. I raised my eyebrows and smirked at her.

"Yeah, so he's my boyfriend. Not a big deal." She said looking down and blushing.

"Aww, my little Lena is growing up." I said mock sadly.

"Come on Charlie. You can be the one to explain to Caroline why we are late." Elena huffed and grabbed her car keys.

"Fine, then. Ruin a perfectly good moment, Elena." I said sarcastically as I tugged Jeremy to the car with me.

It took about five minutes to get to this 'Stefan's' house. My eyes widened as we rounded the corner. His house was huge. Damn.

"Like it?" Jeremy whispered to me from the back seat.

"Try love it, Jer." I whispered back. "And it's only Stefan that lives here?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"No, his older brother Damon lives here too." Jeremy answered. I nodded. We started walking towards the house and I started getting a nervous feeling in my stomach. I always hated to meet new people. I started fidgeting and Jeremy just happened to notice.

"Nervous?" he asked amsued as Elena opened the door and walked in with Jeremy and I trailing behind.

"No." I said confidently.

"Sure, you might want to tell you hands that though." He teased me. I elbowed him in the stomach and stopped fidgeting. I rounded the corner into what I'm guessing is the living room. I broke into a bright smile when I saw Bonnie and Caroline.

"Charlie!" they screeched and ran toward me. "Bonnie! Caroline!" I screeched back and met them halfway. We were hugging and squealing. We broke apart smiling like crazy. I looked around and saw that Stefan and his brother standing looking at us.

"Hi I'm Charlotte, but you can call me Charlie." I said sticking my hand out to the brother with the longish black hair and striking blue eyes. He's cute. He looked at my hand with a disgusted look on his face. Um… okay.I took my hand back and scowled at his rudeness. The other cleared his throat and I turned towards him. He stuck out his hand for me to shake. Hope this one is Stefan. I smiled at him shook his hand.

"Sorry about my brother. I'm Stefan Salvatore and that's my brother Damon." He said smiling ashamed.

"Nice to meet you Stefan. " I said smiling in relief that this was Elena's boyfriend. I smiled approvingly in Elena's direction. She nodded happily and went over to Stefan.

"So what are you doing here?" Caroline asked breaking the awkward tension.

"I'm visiting for a while." I said vaguely.

"How long?" Bonnie asked.

"Around six months." I said happily.

"And where are you staying for those six months?" Elena pointed out.

"In a hotel." I said finally.

"A hotel?" Caroline and Bonnie shouted.

"Yes, a hotel. You three will just have to get over it." I said narrowing my eyes at Jeremy. Jeremy snorted. This is entirely hisfault.

"I already told you I will have it covered by the end of the day." Elena assured us.

"Well, whatever. Elena can handle that, while Bonnie and I plan a welcome back party for you." Caroline said happily. My eyes widened in horror. I heard Jeremy start laughing.

"No, no, no. That's quite alright, Caroline. I don't need a party. You can just spread the word that I'm back in town." I assured her. Jeremy was full blown laughing by now. I glared at him and slapped him upside the head again. He whined in pain.

"Don't worry, Charlie. I'll handle everything, even your outfit. You don't have to do a thing, but show up." Caroline said squealing as she ran out the door with her phone in hand. I groaned and slapped Jeremy upside the head again for laughing at me.

"Bonnie, tell her to stop hitting me." He whined to her. She came over sat on the other arm of the chair. Jeremy put his arm around her waist and smirked at me.

"What is Bonnie going to do?" I snorted.

"She's my girlfriend now. She can do a lot." He said sticking his tongue out at me.

"When did that happen?" I asked astonished.

"A while ago." Jeremy said vaguely.

"Thanks for the mountains of details, Jeremy." I said sarcastically.

"Your welcome." He said cheekily.

"What else have I missed in the last six years?" I asked them.

"Trust me you don't want to know." Damon spoke up for the first time since I got here.

"Trust me I want to know." I snapped back at him.

"Ooh, kitty can scratch." He said taunted smirking at me.

"Ooh, puppy can't bark." I taunted back. Damon smirked fell and he glared at me darkly. I smirked at him.

"Okay, well then. Let's go and get your bags from the hotel and put them at my house until I figured out whose house you're staying at, shall we?" Elena said breaking up our argument.

"Always the peacemaker, aren't you Lena?" I teased her playfully. She smiled while laughing and breaking away from Stefan.

"Come on, Jeremy." I said to him while ripping him away from Bonnie, not really giving him a choice to say no.

"Why am I always being dragged around like your doll?" he whined as we walked out of the house with Elena trailing behind us.

"Because you're Jeremy and you love me." I said smiling sweetly at him.

"And who said that I love you?" he snorted.

"Oh, please Jeremy. Don't think I didn't know about that crush you had on me before I left." I said smirking at him as we got to the car.

"What? Who told you about that?" he exclaimed while turning red.

"You just did." I said giggling at him.

"Whatever." He grumbled as he got in the backseat as Elena was opening the drivers door.

"It's good to be back." I said happily as I got into the car.

Elena, Jeremy, and I made it back to the little hotel just outside of Mystic Falls after a bit of a drive.

"You were planning on staying this far out of town?" Elena exclaimed as she surveyed the area.

"I was planning on it, but Jeremy decided to run his mouth and now I have to stay at someone's house." I said shooting a glare at Jeremy who shrugged in response.

"Whatever, let's just go get her bags." Jeremy said as we got out of the car.

"You two go ahead. I'll be there in a second." Elena said while taking out her phone.

"Okay, come on Jer." I told him as we walked to my room.

Damon's POV

I was lounging on the couch sipping my daily dose of blood when Elena called Stefan's cell phone. And me, being the considerate brother that I am, I listened in on the conversation.

"Hey Stefan can you do me a huge favor?" She asked him.

"Of course, Elena. Anything." Stefan said.

"I need Charlie to stay with you while she is visiting." Elena said desperately. I froze. Hell no!

"I don't know, Elena. You saw how Damon was towards her." Stefan said unsurely. You tell her Stefan.

"Please, Stefan. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to. She doesn't have anywhere else to go. She can't stay with any of us because there's no space. And I'm at the hotel waiting for her and Jeremy to get her things and she's really out here." Elena pleaded. Stefan sighed defeated. He'll give in, he always does.

"Alright, Elena. But you have to find a piece of jewelry to put vervain in. Just to be on the safe side." Stefan said giving in. Called it!

"Really? Thank you so much, Stefan. You don't know how much this means to me." Elena said in relief. I rolled my eyes.

"Lena? You're still in the car! So much for meeting us in there." Her voice said through the phone.

"Sorry, Char. I was talking with Stefan." Elena said apologizing.

"Not a problem, Lena. I know how you can be when you are talking with your boyfriends." Charlotte said teasing her. I chuckled at her choice of words.

"Okay, I have to go I'll see you later Stefan." Elena said flustered and hung up. You know thisarrangement could actually have it's perks. I smirked at that thought.

"You heard that didn't you?" Stefan asked as he walked in the room.

"Down to the flustered goodbye." I said smirking.

"Don't do anything, Damon. This is one of Elena's oldest friends." Stefan said sternly.

"Who ever said I was going to do anything." I said smirking.

"Nobody has to say anything, Damon. I know you." Stefan said to me.

"Look, brother, I promise I won't do anything that she doesn't want me to do." I said to him and smirked when he grew angrier. "Kidding, kidding. You need to learn to take a joke, bro." I said as I made my way up stairs.

"I'm serious, Damon." He said sternly.

"Me too, bro. Me too." I said as I continued to walk upstairs knowing he could still hear me.


	3. Living With The Salvatores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena finds Charlotte a place to stay while she stays in Mystic Falls. Charlotte is...less than thrilled.

Chapter 2

Charlotte's POV

 

"Elena, why are we back at Stefan's house?" I asked Elena as we pulled up in the driveway.

"I found you somewhere to stay." Elena said smiling at me.

"Not a chance in hell." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

"Why? Is it because Damon? Stefan promised that Damon will leave you alone." Elena told me. I snorted.

"Damon doesn't look like the type of guy to take orders from his little brother." I said disbelievingly.

"Char, please. It would make me feel a lot better if you just stayed with Stefan instead of all alone at the hotel." Elena said pleading with me.

"Elena, you know that I'm perfectly fine with staying alone. I've done it all my life." I said to her.

"Charlie, can you just please say yes. Elena won't shut up about it if you don't and I actually want to get some sleep tonight." Jeremy said annoyed from the backseat.

"Fine, whatever." I grumbled as I got out of the car.

I saw Damon watching us from the porch. I glared at him. He smirked and waved innocently at us. I huffed and went to go and get my bags.

"I'm so not going to like this arrangement." I mumbled out as I got my bags with Jeremy.

"Damon's not that bad." Jeremy said defending him. I raised my eyebrows at him in question. "Okay, so maybe he is that bad. Just because you sleep here, doesn't mean you have to be here all the time." Jeremy said reasoning with me.

I smiled Jeremy. "You're right, Jer. You know, there just might be hope for you yet." I said teasing him as I grabbed two of my bags and walked with Elena towards the house.

"I take offence to that." Jeremy shouted after us. Elena looked at me disapprovingly.

"What? I was only teasing him, Elena." I said to her.

"Will you ever quit teasing Jeremy?" Elena asked me as we walked up to Damon. I snorted.

"What do you think, Lena? That isn't really in my nature." I said to her. Elena shook her head amused.

"Damon." I said stonily acknowledging him.

"Charlotte, we are so happy to have you staying in our house." Damon said smirking at me.

"Doubt it." I said glaring at him. Elena elbowed me in the side.

"You're right. Between me and Stefan, only Stefan is happy that you're staying here." Damon said smirking.

"That sounds about right." Stefan said walking out the door. "Come on in. I have your room set up." Stefan said grabbing my bags from me and walking in the house as Jeremy came up the steps.

"Thanks for leaving me with your heaviest suitcases, Char." Jeremy said as he put down my bags. My eyes widened at one of the bags that he was carrying. I quickly picked it up.

"I'll carry this one, Jeremy. No problem." I said and walked in the house.

I walked up the stairs and found Stefan coming out of the room I assumed was mine.

"Thank you for letting me stay here, Stefan. I know that it means a lot to me and Elena." I said softly.

"Not a problem, Charlie. Any friend of Elena's is a friend of mine." Stefan said smiling.

"You're a good guy, Stefan. I'm glad that Elena has you to fall back on if see needs to." I said smiling sadly at him and walked into my room.

Jeremy and Elena came up with the rest of my bags and then went home. I stayed in my room for the rest of the night unpacking my things. All of my things in my "special bag" were hidden away underneath the bathroom that connected in my room. I sighed sadly once I was finished. I decided to call my mom to let her know that I was safe in Mystic Falls, even though she might not care at the moment. I grabbed my cell phone and sat cross legged on my bed. I called the house phone first. No answer. I decided to just leave a message and go to bed.

"Hey Mom, its Charlotte. I don't know if you know or not, but I'm in Mystic Falls. I met up with Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline again. I also don't know if Dr. Adams told you what happened yet, but if he did then I'm sorry for just running off without saying anything. I think that it will be easier on everyone if just stay in Mystic Falls for the rest of my time. Call me back, okay. Tell dad and Josh I said hi. Love you guys." I said trying not to cry. "Bye, mom." I said and hung up my phone.

As soon as I hung up, I started crying. I put my phone back on my nightstand and fell face first into my pillows, not even bothering to put the covers over me, and cried until I fell asleep.

*Flashback Dream Begins*

"Charlotte do you have a doctor's appointment to go to today?" my mother asked me.

"Yes, but it's not until 2:00pm, mother." I said to her.

"Oh, good. We have a few hours then." She said to herself.

"A few hours for what?" I asked her.

"Your father and I have some things that we need to talk with you about." she said and walked into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" I asked as I ran into the kitchen after her and saw my father already sitting down.

"Sit down, Charlotte." My father said sternly. I quickly obeyed and sat down across form my parents.

"Charlotte, honey we don't know how to say this nicely?" my mother started out.

"Just spit it out mother." I said annoyed.

"We aren't going to pay for your treatments anymore." My father said stonily.

"What?" I said outraged. "What am I supposed to do? Neglect them and sit home and die."

I saw my father flinch. "Of course not. But the neighbors are starting to talk, Charlotte." My mother said to me.

"So, that's what this is about. You care about what the neighbors think over your daughter's health?" I asked her taken back.

"Of course not, Charlotte. But you dropped out of college and your last two years in high school were not up to standard. Maybe we should get you an apartment in the city-" she started again but I quickly cut her off.

"I had a disease mother!" I exclaimed. "I still have a disease. And what? My grades and my social status are dropping because of a disease, that I couldn't help getting, is killing me, so you don't want your country club friends knowing that your daughter is imperfect. Well guess what, I haven't been that girl since I got this disease, mother. If you don't like it, then too bad for you. I can't get rid of it, no matter how hard I try." I shouted at her and ran up to my room. I took a couple deep breaths to calm myself down and then started packing up everything.

I finished packing up my things and put my bags in my car. I walked back into the house and walked up to my younger brother, Josh's room. I knocked on the door softly.

"What?" he shouted annoyed.

"I'm going to my doctor's appointment." I told him.

"So?" he asked me still annoyed. I opened my mouth to tell him that I wasn't coming back home, but decided against it.

"Just wanted to let you know since mother, father, and I aren't on speaking terms." I told him and walked away.

I walked out to my car, got in, and drove to the bank. I walked in and transferred all of the money that was mine into a separate account that my parents couldn't get into. Then I drove to the hospital and checked in for my weekly treatment.

"Charlotte, nice to see you again." Dr. Adams said to me as he walked in.

"Nice to see you again, Dr. Adams." I said politely even though I hate coming here.

"I'm afraid that I have some bad news, Charlotte." He said sadly.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"Charlotte, your body has stopped responding to treatments." He said softly.

"How?" I exclaimed. "I thought you said I was getting better, not worse."

"I'm sorry. We thought it was too, but the tests we ran today say differently." He explained.

"So what am I supposed to do now?" I asked sternly. "Just sit around and wait for my body to shut down and die."

"No, I'll have the nurses give you the necessary medications that you'll need to help you from getting sick. As long as you take your medicine everyday, you can live a normal life until your body starts to shut down." He explained.

"How long?" I asked him.

"Excuse me?" he asked confused.

"How long do I have left?" I asked him sternly.

"Around six months. I don't believe that you'll live past your birthday." He said sadly.

"Okay, okay." I said trying not to cry.

"I'll have one of the nurses give you your medication your way out." he said as he got up. I got up along with him.

"Thank you for helping me along the way, Dr. Adams." I said to him.

"Not a problem, Charlotte." He said shaking my hand. "I am very sorry that you are one of the many people in this world that has cancer." He said smiling sadly.

*Flashback Dream Ends*

I bolted awake at the sound of my name. I looked around my room and saw Stefan and Damon staring down at me.

"Are you alright, Charlotte?" Stefan asked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just a really bad memory. Sorry I woke you guys up." I told him assuring him.

"It's fine. I was just about to get up to get ready for school anyway." He assured me.

"Oh, okay. Um… can you give me a ride to the hotel? I left my car there by mistake yesterday." I asked him remembering that I drove here.

"Yeah, sure. You get ready and when your finished we'll go." He said as he stood up and walked to the door with Damon trailing behind him.

"Thanks." I said as I threw off my covers. He nodded and walked out, Damon behind him, and shutting the door. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. I don't remember going to sleep with the covers over me. I shook it off and got up to get ready for the day. I got dressed in my cream tank top, denim cut off shorts, and black converse. I went into my bathroom and took my pills. Then I brushed my teeth and my hair. I grabbed my locket off my dresser and clipped it on. I put my owl wallet, cell phone, keys, and my travel size bottle of medicine into my Runway Relief messenger bag and grabbed my straw fedora. I put on my hat and slipped my bag over my head and on my shoulder. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I looked in the fridge and saw that they had no food. I saw the same in the pantry. Never let two guys live on their own. I decided that I will go and buy groceries. That way we all have food.

"Hey Stefan, I'm ready." I said as I walked into the living room. All I saw was Damon, sitting on the arm of the chair, twirling his keys around his finger.

"Have you seen Stefan?" I asked him.

"Yup, Elena picked and they drove to school together. He told me to take you to get your car." He said smirking at me. Dirty move, Stefan. Dirty move.

"That's okay. I'll walk." I said and turned my heel, starting to walk out the door.

"Aww, come on, Char. Don't be like that." He said walking behind me.

"The name's Charlotte to you, Damon." I said shortly.

"Fine, Charlotte. Get in the car. I promised Stefan and Elena that I would take you to go and get your car." He said annoyed.

"No thanks, Damon. I'm good." I said as I kept walking.

"Just get in the car, Charlotte. I don't need to hear from Stefan and Elena that you got sick from walking all over town." He said even more annoyed. But I stopped walking when he said sick. I can't afford to get sick. If I get sick, my body will shut down faster than it already is. I sighed defeated and turned around. Goodbye, pride. I walked to Damon's car avoiding him staring at me. I opened the door and got in. I heard Damon open his door and get in after me. I knew he had an amused smirk on his face.

After a very awkward and silent ride to the hotel, I finally got out of his car. I searched through my bag and finally found my keys.

"Nice car." Damon commented my cherry red Mustang GT from right next to me. I jumped as soon as I heard his voice next to me.

"Thanks." I said a bit shaky trying to calm my heart down.

"I'll see you back at the house." I said as I got in my car.

Once I backed out of the hotel, I drove back to Mystic Falls. I noticed that Damon followed me back to the town, but turned a different way once we got back. I sighed in relief thinking that he was going to follow me. I drove through Mystic Falls trying to find the grocery store. After five minutes of searching, I finally found it. I parked and grabbed my bag.

I bought a bunch of groceries for the house, but the whole time I felt like someone was following me. I shivered at the thought as I drove back to the boarding house. I parked closer to the house, so it would be easier to get the groceries in the house. I turned off my car, but left my bag in so I could go shopping later.

After I unloaded all of the groceries out of my car and into the house, I started putting them away.

"What's all that?" Damon asked from behind me. I jumped almost dropped the things I had in my hand.

"What the hell is with you scaring me?" I asked him incredulously.

"You're new. Everybody else is immune to getting scared." He said smirking.

"Yay, for me." I said sarcastically as I went back to putting away the groceries.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"Food." I answered simply.

"Why?" he asked again.

"Because two guys living on their own never had any food." I said to him as I finished up.

"Oh, trust me we have plenty to eat." He said cryptically.

"Yeah, sure." I said disbelievingly as I grabbed my things. "See you later, Damon." I said to him and walked out to my car. Let's go walk around town until school gets out.


	4. Telling Jeremy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie finally spills the beans about her cancer to someone. And Caroline plans a welcome back party for Charlie.

Chapter 3

Charlotte's POV

 

I currently was parked at Mystic Falls High waiting for school to get out. I sighed bored. I was also currently conflicted. I want to tell everyone about my cancer, but then it gets complicated and what if they see me like my parents and brother saw me. I should just tell one person. That way I have someone to talk to about this. I started thinking about who to tell. Damon and Stefan are out of the picture because I don't even know them. Elena would fuss about it too much. Bonnie would want to tell Elena about it. Caroline would spoil me rotten telling me that I need to live it up before I die and then she'll tell Elena. Matt would do the same as Bonnie. That left Tyler and Jeremy. I know that Jeremy can keep a secret. Tyler can somewhat keep a secret; it depends on what it is. I decided that whoever I saw first I would tell. The bell finally rang bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked at the front doors of the school waiting for one of them to come out. My eyes lit up when I saw Jeremy walk out.

"Jeremy Gilbert!" I shouted in his direction. He turned his head from side to side to see who called his name. "Hey, Baby Gilbert! Hurry it up!" I shouted over to him so he would see me. He looked in my direction and saw me. He started jogging over to me.

"Finally." I said exasperated.

"Charlie, what are you doing here? And don't call me that here. It's embarrassing." He said his cheeks a bit red.

"Good. Now get in the car. We have much to discuss." I said and opened my door. As I turned the car on Jeremy walked around the car and got in the passenger seat.

"You going to tell me what is going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nope." I said. "Not yet, at least." I added.

"Alright." He said.

"I need a secluded place. Is there any around here?" I asked him as I drove out of the parking lot.

"The beach is about a half hour away from here." He suggested as he texted.

"Perfect." I said as I drove in the direction he gave me.

 

Thirty minutes later, Jeremy and I were parked and walking in the sand. We started walking along the shore.

"So, you going to tell me why you kidnapped a minor and dragged him to the beach." He asked me smirking.

"Kidnapped?" I exclaimed. "You're the one that came willingly, Gilbert. But, yeah I'm going to tell you. I just need to figure out a way to say it."

"Just blurt it out." He suggested. I sighed sadly.

"I have cancer." I blurted out like he suggested. He stopped walking and turned towards me.

"You have what?" he asked quietly.

"Cancer, Jeremy. Chronic myelogenous leukemia to be exact." I said bluntly while staring out in the ocean.

"Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline, do they know?" he asked me softly.

"No and it's going to stay that way until I decide to tell them." I told him sternly.

"How long have you had it?" he asked.

"Since I left Mystic Falls. It was that reason that we left." I explained.

"Why are you back then?" he asked me afraid of my answer.

"Because my body stopped responding to the treatments and my parents basically kicked me out because I'm ruining their image." I said looking down trying to control my tears.

"And how long do you have…" Jeremy asked trailing off.

"Six months. My doctor said I won't live to see my twenty second birthday." I said with tears running down my face.

"Why me?" he asked looking at me.

"Because I needed someone to talk to and I knew I could trust you." I said full on crying. Jeremy stepped in front of me and hugged me tight.

"It'll be okay, Char." He said comfortingly, even though we both know it isn't true. I buried my face in his chest and cried. I looked up when I felt tears in my hair. I saw Jeremy crying silently.

"Jeremy, you can't tell, Elena. Or Bonnie. Or Caroline. Okay?" I told him. He nodded. "Promise me, Jeremy." I said to him.

"I promise." He said hoarsely. I nodded in thanks.

"Come we should probably get back before Elena thinks I really kidnapped you." I said trying to lighten the situation.

"Yeah." He said as he let go of me and we walked side by side to the car.

On the way home I answered every question that Jeremy had.

"How did this happen?" he asked sadly.

"Apparently, I've had it since birth. My genes got screwed up and the cancer started in my blood cells. The type of cancer that I have is a very uncommon one. It's the cancer of the blood cells. And it doesn't show any signs for years because it progresses slowly, so my doctors didn't catch it until I was 15." I explained.

"So you moved because you had cancer?" he questioned.

"Yes and no. We moved because the best doctor on the east coast lived all the way over by West Virginia and of course my parents have to have the best of everything, so we moved closer to the doctor." I explained to him.

"Anything else I should know about?" he asked.

"Two things. One is that I can't get sick or hurt for any reason whatsoever. I bleed and bruise easy because my bones are very thin. And if I get sick I will get an infection and my time will decrease. Also in about four months when I have two months left, my body is going to start to shut down. My skin will start to get pale, I will start running fevers, I'll lose a lot of weight, I'll start to feel tired after doing the smallest of things, I will start sweating a lot at night, the left side of my body below my ribs will hurt often, and I will start to lose my appetite for everything." I explained to him.

"And the second thing?" he asked hesitantly.

I sighed, thinking about how to word this. "I've almost died once before." I blurted out.

"What?" he asked with wide eyes.

"When I was seventeen, I was rushed to the hospital because I was passing out a lot and I couldn't eat anything without throwing it back up. When we got there they rushed me to a room and gave me some medicine that I can't even pronounce. But, anyway, I passed out again and when I woke up again I had nurse and doctors sighing in relief while they fixed me up. I asked one of the doctors what the hell had happened. He said that my heart stopped for twenty seconds. Twenty whole seconds I wasn't breathing and I wasn't alive. For the next few days I was in the hospital getting my treatments in even bigger amounts to kill the cancer and I was in pain every step of the way. So, I told my doctor that I wanted to sign a DNR. I never want to endure that kind of pain again." I explained to him while driving back to Mystic Falls.

"You signed a Do Not Resuscitate? So when you die, it's for good this time?" he asked sadly.

"Yeah. It's not like I'll live a very good life anyway. I'll be bedridden for the rest of my life and what kind of life is that." I told him seriously. He nodded in agreement.

"I'll always be here if you want to talk, Char." He said seriously.

"Thanks, Jer. I knew I could count on you." I said smiling at him as I pulled up to his house.

"Oh, and before I forget. Caroline says to tell you that your party is tonight and to go to her house by 5:00pm. And the party is at Tyler's house." Jeremy said smiling while trying not to laugh, as if the cancer thing never came up.

"Oh no." I moaned sadly. "She is so going to die when I get to her house." I said while shaking my head.

"Good luck with that and I will see you at the party." He said as he got out.

"See you later, Jer. And thanks again for today." I said to him seriously.

"No problem, Char. Remember that I'm always here for you." He said and then ran up to his house. I sighed defeated. I really don't want to go to this party tonight.

 

I drove back to the Salvatore house and parked my car next to Damon's. I grabbed my bag and walked in the house. I was about to walk up to my room when Stefan came out of the living room.

"Hey, was Jeremy with you just now?" he asked once he saw me.

"Yeah, we went for a little ride." I said vaguely.

"Okay, Elena was just worried because he just vanished after school." Stefan explained.

"Well, Jeremy was in perfectly capable hands." I said to him and started walking upstairs. "For now anyway." I mumbled to myself sadly as I walked to my room.

I dressed down since Caroline was doing everything for me. When I was finished, I grabbed my bag and walked downstairs.

"So, where is kitten off to looking not so pretty?" Damon taunted as he came out of the living room. I silently cursed the stars. I was almost out the door.

"Caroline's. She has my dress and shoes. Later." I explained vaguely and walked out of the house before he could say anything else.

"Alright, Care. I'm here, let's get this over with." I said as I stepped into her bedroom.

"That's the spirit, Char." She said happily.

 

For the next two hours Caroline gave me a short black dress and then she did my hair and makeup. Finally, the time came for accessories and shoes. She gave me a black clutch. She took off my locket and said that I would get it back later. To replace it she put on a layered silver necklace. Finally, to top it all off three inch Jimmy Choo black peep toe heels.

"You better be careful in my Jimmy Choo's, Char." She warned.

"Don't worry Care. I won't intentionally ruin them, even though you threw a party that i didn't want and stuffed me in this dress." I said sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Char!" Caroline whined.

"Fine. I'll be the one to act my age and do the right thing." I said rolling my eyes.

"You should act your age, old woman." Caroline said jokingly.

"I'm only three years older than you, thank you very much." I said mock offended and started downstairs.

"Wait for me." She called out as she ran down the stairs.

"Don't worry Care. The party doesn't start until you walk in." I said to her.

"Damn right." She said laughing as we got in my car.

I parked in Tyler's massive driveway looking at the massive line of cars around the area. I groaned as I got out.

"Caroline how many people are here?" I asked her cautiously.

"Only a few hundred." She said nonchalantly as she started walking towards the house.

"Caroline!" I exclaimed as I saw the massive house light up and booming with music.

"What? The party isn't that big!" she exclaimed knowing what I was thinking already and walked off.

"What did I get myself into?" I asked myself as I opened the door and saw the house packed full of people.

"Charlotte!" I heard someone shout. I looked around and saw Tyler waving his arms in the air. I shook my head and laughed. I walked over to where he was standing the living room.

"Tyler!" I exclaimed excited as I hugged him. "Look at you!"

"Look at you, you're so old now." He said jokingly.

"I'm 21 to be exact. Thank you. And at least I can legally drink." I shot back.

"Touché. So, what's the infamous Charlotte Buchanan doing back in Mystic Falls?" Tyler asked.

"Spending some time with old friends and getting away from my family." I said vaguely.

"Well, I think I speak for all of Mystic Falls when I say welcome back, Miss Buchanan." He said cockily.

"Still as cocky as ever I see." I said to him smirking.

"Of course. I wouldn't be Tyler Lockwood if I wasn't." he said smugly. I laughed.

"So how is your mom and dad?" I asked him.

"My dad died about a year ago." Tyler said frowning.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ty." I said frowning that I brought it up.

"It's fine. My mother is doing well though. She said to come by sometime during your visit to catch up." He said to me.

"Tell her I'll be here soon." I said smiling at him.

"Good. Now let me get a good look at you." He said as he backed up a bit. I smiled and twirled for dramatic effect. He whistled lowly. "If I wasn't with Caroline, I'd tap that." He said joking dramatically.

"Tyler!" I exclaimed laughing as I smacked him in the arm.

"What? I'm just saying for an older woman, you look pretty damn hot." He said jokingly.

"I'm keeping my eyes on you Lockwood." I threatened as I started walking away from him.

"Is that supposed to sound like a bad thing?" he asked raising his eyebrows. I shook my head smiling at his antics.

"Well, well look at that. The kitten transformed into a vixen." Damon said popping up behind me.

"I don't know whether to be offended or disgusted." I said rolling my eyes as I walked over to the bar.

"You could always take it as a complement because that's the best you'll get out of me." He said smirking as I grabbed a water bottle.

"Well then, thank you for the dirty compliment, Damon." I said sarcastically as Caroline came over to us.

"Come on, let's dance." She said as she pulled me towards the dance floor. I tossed my bottle at Damon and ran with her.

The song changed to Last Friday Night by Katy Perry. Caroline and I started dancing dramatically to match the song. I spotted Bonnie and Elena standing with Stefan and Jeremy. I ran over and grabbed them and pulled them onto the dance floor. We danced until that song ended. The next song that came on was, I Like It by Enrique Iglesias. Caroline and I squealed and started dancing like crazy.

Us girls dance threw five more songs. After the last song, I was super tired. I told Caroline that I was going to leave. I grabbed my clutch and my shoes, which somehow came off while we were dancing, and walked out to my car. I walked outside was hit with cold air. I shivered as my eyes grew heavier.

"Come on, Charlotte. Let's get you home." Damon said putting his jacket on me.

"Damon?" I asked sleepily as I turned around.

"Come on. You're about to fall asleep on your feet." He said as directed me towards me car. I stumbled while we were walking. Damon apparently got annoyed and picked me up bridal style. I was about to protest, but instead I laid me head in the crook of his neck and fell asleep. What the hell, I'll deal with the consequences later.

 

Damon's POV

 

I watched as Charlotte walked sleepily out the front door. I debated on whether I should help her now or not. Elena would have my head if she killed herself in a car accident and I could have helped her out. I sighed defeated and walked out the front door after her. Luckily, she hadn't gone far. I shrugged off my jacket when I saw her shiver.

"Come on, Charlotte. Let's get you home." I said to her as I put the jacket on her.

"Damon?" she questioned sleepily.

"Come on. You're about to fall asleep on your feet." I said as I directed her towards her car. She was stumbling every other step and I was starting to get annoyed. So I picked her up bridal style and walked to her car. I noticed that she laid her head in the crook of my neck and fell asleep. I sighed as I opened the passenger seat and laid her in the seat softly. I grabbed her purse and grabbed her keys out of it.

I parked her car in the driveway and got out. I opened up the passenger seat and picked her up as carefully as I could. I used vampire speed and made it up to her room. I carefully laid her down on her bed, hoping that she didn't wake up. I put her shoes and her purse on her dresser and walked out of her room. I sighed in relief that this night was over.


	5. Lunch With Mrs. Lockwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie gets asked out on a date on her way to her lunch with Mrs. Lockwood and Caroline freaks out.

Chapter 4

Charlotte's POV

 

I woke up the next morning in my bed with Caroline's dress still on. I scrunched my eyes up in confusion at how I got here. Then I remembered that Damon was the one that took me home last night. I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was about eight am. I should go and visit Mrs. Lockwood today. I got up and grabbed a towel so I could take a shower.

Once I was done getting dressed for the day, I walked downstairs for a quick breakfast. While I was making coffee, I decided to call Mrs. Lockwood to let her know that I was going to come by later today.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Mrs. Lockwood. It's Charlotte Buchanan." I said to her.

"Charlotte! It's so good to her your voice again. Did Tyler tell you that I wanted to meet up with you and catch up?" she asked excited.

"Yeah, he told me last night at the party. Thank you so much for letting Caroline use your house, by the way. I was just calling to ask if today at lunch was okay for me to stop by." I explained to her.

"That sounds wonderful, Charlotte. I'll have something cooked for lunch, so make sure you don't eat anything before." She told happily.

"Sounds great, Mrs. Lockwood. I'll see you at noon." I said smiling.

"I'll see you soon, dear." She said and hung up. I smiled as I hung up the phone. It will be nice to see Mrs. Lockwood again. Her and Sheriff Forbes were like my second mothers. I have to make a note to visit Sheriff Forbes again too.

Once the coffee finished, I poured some in a mug and went to go and sit down on the couch. I turned on the TV that they had, but kept it on low so I didn't wake up Damon.

"Whatcha watchin?" Damon asked as he came into the room. I jumped at the sound of his voice. Thankfully, I didn't spill my hot coffee on me.

"Good morning to you too." I said sarcastically.

"You're watching the news? Seriously?" he asked while changing the channel.

"Not anymore apparently." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"What are you up to on this fine Tuesday morning?" he asked as he was flipping through the channels.

"Meeting Mrs. Lockwood for lunch." I answered simply.

"Sounds like you have a fun day planned out for yourself." He said sarcastically.

"Yup." I stated simply.

"Thanks for making sure I got home okay last night." I said to him wanting to get this out of the way.

"Don't go all mushy on me now, Charlotte." He said snickering.

"I was just trying to be nice. You should try it sometime." I said annoyed that he was mocking my apology.

"Nice isn't in my nature." Damon said monotonously.

"That I believe." I said as I got up to put my mug in the sink. After, I walked up to my room to grab my purse. I made sure I had my travel size bottle of medicine in it. I grabbed my keys for my car and walked back downstairs.

"Later, Damon." I shouted into the living room. I got no response back so I just shrugged and left.

 

Before I went to the Lockwood's house, I walked around town to check out all of the little clothing shops. I needed some new clothes, and by no means was I short on money, so why not go shopping. I decided to wait until Caroline got out of school to go. I texted her to make sure she would come.

Shopping after school? I texted her. Less than a minute later I got her response.

Absolutely! She texted back. I shook my head amused as I headed for my car. I looked down at the time on my phone and suddenly bumped into someone. I looked up and saw a very cute guy. He had sandy blonde short hair, kind of like Matt's, and grey eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching were I was going." I said smiling apologetically.

"No worries. I wasn't paying attention either." He said assuring me. "Are you new around here?" he added asking me.

"No, actually. I lived here up until I was fifteen and then moved to West Virginia. I'm just here visiting some friends." I explained to him.

"Oh, well I'm Noah." He said sticking out his hand.

"Charlotte." I said introducing myself as I shook his hand.

"Well then, Charlotte, how would you like to go out with me tomorrow night." He asked me slyly. I raised my eyebrows at him. Just met and he is asking me out? "As an apology for almost knocking on the floor." He added.

I smiled as I thought about it. He's cute and it's one date, what could it hurt? "Sure." I said agreeing.

"Great. Mystic Grill? 7p.m.?" he planned.

"Sounds great. See you tomorrow, Noah." I said as I walked slowly to my car.

"Until tomorrow, Charlotte." He said suavely as he kissed my hand. I resisted the urge to swoon. I was 21 years old and I was not Caroline. I do not swoon like a teenager.

I walked the rest of the way to my car smiling. My first date at the age of 21. That's a bit pathetic. But it's a date nonetheless. It's a good thing Caroline and I are going shopping this afternoon.

 

I drove to the Lockwood's mansion size house and parked in the driveway. It was 12:00pm on the dot. I grabbed my purse and walked up to the front door. Before I could even knock, Mrs. Lockwood opened the door.

"Charlotte! It's so good to see you again." She said as she hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.

"It's nice to see you again too, Mrs. Lockwood." I said politely.

"Oh, call me Carol, dear." She said as she gestured for me to come in.

"So, how's life been since you moved." She asked as we finished lunch.

"It's been a bit rough. I've missed this place like crazy." I said fake smiling.

"Your mother told me why you were moving Charlotte." She said bluntly, not buying me lie.

"Oh." I said simply.

"I am very sorry that this has happened to you dear." She said sadly.

"Thank you, Carol." I said sincerely. "The real reason that I'm back is that my body has stopped responding to treatments and the doctors say that I have roughly six months left." I said softly trying to control my tears. Carol put her hand over her mouth in shock. I could see her silently crying.

"What did your mother say?" she asked quietly.

"I don't really know. She basically kicked me out because I was ruining our families reputation before I went to my last appointment, so I packed up my things and put them in my car. I went to my appointment and my doctor told me that my body stopped responding to treatments and I have six months to live. So, I came here." I explained with tears running down my face.

"She said that?" she asked astonished.

"My mother is a very different person now then she was when we lived here." I said solemnly.

"Oh, Charlotte. I am so sorry that you had to go though this on your own." She said heart broken.

"It's okay. I've worked through it on my own. I came here wanting to die with my real family with me." I said smiling sadly.

"Does everyone know?" she asked.

"No, only you and Jeremy." I answered.

"Why Jeremy?" she asked curiously as she dried her face.

"I needed someone to talk to about this. I didn't know that you had already knew about it or I would've talked to you." I explained.

"Are you going to tell everyone?" she asked.

"Eventually. I just want to enjoy what time I have with them before it becomes necessary to tell them." I explained to her.

"Well, if you ever and I mean ever, need someone to talk to, just call me. Or if you need to come over and have a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you." She said sincerely.

"Thank you, Carol. That means a lot to me." I said with a small smile.

"So, I have a proposition for you. Do you still like to sing?" she asked me trying to get rid of the sadness in the air.

"Of course, it's what keeps me sane some days." I said jokingly.

"Well, the Founder's Day party is coming up in about a month and a half and we still need live entertainment. You wouldn't have to sing the entire time. Just about four of five songs. How does that sound?" she said smiling. My eyes widened in amazement.

"That sounds like one of the best propositions that I've ever heard in my life." I said smiling gleefully.

"Perfect. I get you whatever and whoever you need to help you play at the party. Just let me know." She said happily.

"Thank you Carol. For everything." I said smiling happily.

 

Carol and I talked until school was let out. I texted Caroline and told her to pick me up at the house so I could drop my car off. I parked my car in the driveway as Caroline pulled up.

"Hey, how was school?" I asked her as I hopped in her car.

"School was school. How was your exciting day as an adult?" She asked smiling.

"It was good. I had lunch with Mrs. Lockwood. And I might have got asked out on a date." I said nonchalantly. Caroline squealed as I blushed.

"When? What? How? Who? Where?" She asked question after question.

"Right before I went to lunch. I have a date. We bumped into each other and he said that as an apology he wanted to take me out. His name is Noah. At the Grill tomorrow night." I said answering all of her questions.

"Ohmygod this is so exciting! We have to get you the perfect outfit for tomorrow." She squealed. I smiled shyly as she squealed for the rest of the drive to the shops.

Caroline and I shopped for four hours. It was already dark out once we finished. We loaded of her SUV and she dropped me off at the Salvatore house. I got out and grabbed all of my bags, then said goodbye to Caroline and ran inside the house.

"Hey, how was shopping?" Stefan asked successfully scaring me when I got into the house. I jumped then whirled around to glare at him.

"What is with you Salvatores and scaring me?" I asked him jokingly.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you're an easy target." Stefan said chuckling.

"Meanie." I grumbled underneath my breath. He smirked.

"Here let me help you with those since I scared you." He said smiling apologetically.

"Thank you." I said to him as we walked upstairs with my mountains of clothes.

 

Later that night, after I put away all of my clothes, I walked downstairs to make some dinner. I walked into the kitchen smiling as I thought about my date tomorrow. My first date was in less than twenty four hours. I felt excited and nervous all at the same time.

"What are you smiling about?" Damon grumbled as he walked into the kitchen and sat on the island.

"Nothing." I said quickly as I quit smiling. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "It's nothing." I said innocently as I got things out to make waffles.

"You're making waffles for dinner?" he asked as he stared at me like I was weird.

"Yeah, so?" I asked him.

"You're even weirder than I thought." He said to me.

"What? Waffles are good. They can be eaten at anytime." I argued back.

"Mm-hm, sure." He said mock believingly.

"Fine, be that way. You won't get any of my delicious waffles." I said as I started making them.

"I don't want any of your breakfast foods for dinner." He said as he hopped off of the island and walked out of the kitchen. I rolled my eyes.

 

Twenty minutes later, my waffles were ready.

"Hey, Stefan! You want any waffles?" I called up the stairs. Stefan came downstairs looking at me like I was crazy, but agreed anyway.

We started eating in the living room while watching TV, when Damon came in with a plate of waffles in hand. I smiled smugly at him when he tasted them. He looked at my smug smile and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." He mumbled annoyed as he ate. Stefan looked from me to Damon confused. I shrugged at him innocently and continued to eat my breakfast for dinner.


	6. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie goes on her first date and preps for girls night with Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena.

Chapter 5

Charlotte's POV

 

The next morning I woke up smiling. My first date was today. I got out of bed and dressed in some clothes that I could lounge around the house in while I wait for tonight. I walked downstairs to make breakfast before Stefan went to school.

"Hey, you're up early?" Stefan said as I walked into the kitchen.

"Woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. You want breakfast before you go? I can make something really quick?" I asked him as I got the ingredients out for omelets.

"Yeah, sure." He said smiling at me.

"Text Lena and ask her if she wants an omelet then she better get here soon." I told him as I started making them.

"Sure thing." He said as he did what I asked. A few seconds later he got a text.

"She's on her way." He commented amused.

"I knew she would. Elena can't resist my cooking." I said smiling jokingly. Stefan chuckled as I made a bunch of omelets.

 

In the end, I made five omelets. One each of us and then one for Damon and one for Jeremy. I know Jeremy is going to come. He hears the word food and follows the scent. Once I finished breakfast Elena walked in the kitchen with Jeremy in tow.

"Damon! Breakfast is ready!" I shouted up the stairs as Stefan, Elena, and Jeremy all got there food.

"Wow, Charlotte. This is amazing." Stefan said as we all started eating.

"I've missed your cooking so much, Char." Elena said dreamily. I looked over at Jeremy and saw him stuff his face full of food. I shook my head and rolled my eyes amused.

After we all finished eating and Stefan, Elena, and Jeremy left for school, I walked into the kitchen to clean up and see if Damon ate his food. I walked up to the island were I left it and found the plate gone. At least he ate. I started to wash the dishes in the sink and hum Obsession by Sky Ferreira. I started smiling as I looked at the clock. Less than twelve hours till my date tonight.

"You seem awfully chipper lately. Less doom and gloom. More pep in your step." Damon said sarcastically as he walked in.

"Maybe it's because I haven't seen your face all morning." I said teasing, not looking at him. I looked up from the dishes and looked at him. "Oh darn, there it went." I said monotonously.

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Charlotte. Seriously, what's got you so up beat?" he asked as he washed his dishes.

"If you absolutely must know Damon, I have a date tonight." I said smiling happily.

"A date? A date has you this excited?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's been a while since a guy has actually taken an interest in me." I said half-lying to him.

"What like a few weeks?" he said sarcastically.

"No, this is my first date ever." I said softly as I finished cleaning my mess and walked up to my room not waiting for his comment.

 

For the remainder of the day I stayed up in my room, blasting my music on my iHome. I was on my computer for most of the day looking up random news articles about Mystic Falls since I left. I found a lot of videos and articles on animal attacks here. I'll have to ask Elena about it later. I looked at the clock on my iHome and saw that it was already five thirty. I quickly got in the shower and got ready for my date. I wore a summer dress and a cardigan that Caroline and I bought yesterday. I put my travel size bottle of medicine, my cell phone, and my car keys in one of my black clutches. I slipped on a pair of flats and made my way downstairs.

Once I got downstairs I saw Damon making his way towards the stairs to go up. But before he passed me, he stopped. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out on front of me. My eyes widened as I realized that it was my locket. Why does he have my locket?

"Caroline brought it by after school. She also says good luck on your date." He said softly. My eyes widened a bit at the softness of his voice.

"Thanks." I said quietly as I grabbed it.

"I can put it on for you, if you want." He offered.

"Sure." I said smiling softly.

I handed it back to him and turned around while picking up my hair. He softly laid it down on my neck and clasped it. I felt his hands linger on my neck longer than they needed to. For some unknown reason, I liked the way his touch felt on my skin. Soft, yet rough. My eyes widened at my thoughts. What am I thinking? This is Damon we're thinking about. And I can't have a crush on Damon. That's just not logical. I quickly put my hair down as he pulled his hands away. I turned around and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Damon. I'll see you later." I said as I backed towards the door. I turned around and walked out the door to my car. What the hell just happened in there? What ever it was, it will never happen again!

 

Once I calmed myself down I got out of my car, which was parked outside the Mystic Grill. I put my keys in my clutch and walked into the Grill. I walked over to an empty table and sat down. I sighed nervously as I waited for Noah to show up. I checked my phone and saw that it was 7:00 o'clock on the dot. He should be coming soon. I started looking around and saw that Matt was working tonight. He spotted me and started walking over.

"Hey Charlotte. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I have a date tonight. He should be coming any minute." I told him nervously.

"Well then, Miss Buchanan. I'll leave to it." He said winking at me as he left. I shook my head at him amused.

Fifteen minutes later I was still waiting there for Noah. I sighed sadly. He's not coming. Matt came over to me again.

"He's not coming." I said sadly.

"I'm sure he will be here soon, Char." Matt said reassuringly.

"Doubt it; it's been almost twenty minutes Matt." I said looking down.

"Well, why don't you eat anyway? You already drove her to eat, so you should eat." He said to me.

"No thanks. I'm going to go. I'll see you tomorrow, Mattie." I said to him smiling weakly as I got up.

"See you tomorrow, Char." He said softly.

 

I walked into the house as soft as I could; hoping that neither Stefan nor Damon heard me come in. Thankfully, I made it up to me room without seeing anyone. I got undressed and changed into a comfy pair of sweats and a tank top from Victoria Secret. I took off all of my make-up and took my medicine. But while I was doing everything, I kept looking at that stupid dress that was on my bed. I felt like it kept mocking me. I sighed angrily and grabbed the dress from my bed. I marched downstairs straight into the living room. I bunched up the dress and threw it into the fire. Somehow I managed to make my way onto the couch before I broke down in tears. I silently sobbed as I watched the dress burn to pieces. How could someone stand someone up like that? I should have expected this to happen. No one wants to date the poor little sick girl. Even if they don't know that I have cancer I get stood up. No use in being sorry for myself. It was just a stupid date with a stupid guy that I didn't even know. No more crying over something as stupid as this.I dried up my tears and sighed burying my face in the couch as I laid down face first.

"So how was your date?" Damon asked as he walked into the living room.

"You mean the part where I sat down at a table by myself for twenty minutes. Because if that 's what you're talking about then it want wonderful." I said sarcastically then buried my face in the couch again.

"What are you saying? That he stood you up?" Damon asked in disbelief. I kept my face in the couch and gave him a thumb up.

"Well that sucks." He commented.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." I said dryly as I got up.

"No need to get you feathers in a ruffle, Buchanan." He said jokingly. I rolled my eyes at him. "Hey, does the fire look like it has something in it?" he asked.

"Oh, it's just the dress I bought for my date tonight. Nothing special." I said as I got up to go to my room.

"Right. Because dresses are made to be burned." He said sarcastically.

"Well, they make excellent firewood." I said as I walked out of the room.

 

The next morning I woke up feeling like I haven't talked to Elena, Caroline, or Bonnie in forever, even though I saw them a couple days ago. I picked up my phone and called Elena.

"Hello." She answered.

"Morning, Lena." I said to her.

"Morning, Char. What's up?" she asked curiously.

"Is Bonnie or Caroline there with you?" I asked her.

"Yeah, Bonnie is here." She answered.

"Great, have her stand by you and put it on speaker. I'm three-waying with Care." I told her.

"Alright." Elena compiled.

"Hello?" Caroline answered sleepily.

"Hey, Care." I told her.

"Charlie, why are you calling me so early?" she asked annoyed.

"Caroline, we have school in thirty minutes." Bonnie said dryly from Elena's line.

"What?" Caroline exclaimed.

"Caroline, go back to sleep." Tyler's voice said sleepily through the phone.

"Caroline, what is Tyler doing at your house?" I asked amused.

"Nothing." She said quickly. "What did you call me for anyway?" she asked changing the subject.

"Okay, so how would you three feel about having a girl's night tonight? Stefan told me that you have tomorrow off from school, so I was thinking pizza, soda, cheesecake, sappy DVDs, nail painting, and time to catch up." I proposed to them.

"I'm in. Now if you excuse me I have to get dressed or I will be late for school." Caroline said and hung up the phone.

"We're in too, Char. It's been far too long since we hung out like this." Bonnie said excited.

"Great. Come over to the house around 6:30ish. I'll have everything ready. Just bring the DVDs and yourselves." I said to them and hung up.

 

I got up and got ready for the day in a simple pair of shorts, a T-Shirt, and a pair of ankle socks. I grabbed my iPod and my iHome and went down to the kitchen so I could bake things for tonight.

"Morning." Stefan said as I walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Stefan." I said back as I set up my iHome on the counter.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" he asked as sipped his coffee.

"Baking for the most part. Um… is it okay that I invited the girls over for a girl's night tonight?" I asked him realizing that I never asked them if it was okay.

"Yeah, sure. You don't have to ask to have people over, Charlotte. You live here too now." Stefan said amused.

"I know I just… I'm only here temporarily and it's your house so I feel like I have to ask." I said relieved.

"Well you don't." Stefan assured me.

"Thanks, Stefan." I said gratefully.

"Alright, I better get to school. I'll see you when I get home, Charlie." He said as he put his mug in the sink and grabbed his bag.

"Later, Stefan." I said as I got stuff out for the cupcakes and cheesecake.


	7. Girl's Night and a Date With Damon?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and the girls have a much needed girls night and Charlie has a date with...Damon?!

Chapter 6

Charlotte's POV

 

I was baking for only ten minutes when Damon came in the kitchen.

"What no fancy breakfast today?" he asked dryly as he poured himself coffee and turned my music off.

"Nope. I've got other things to finish before tonight." I said vaguely as I glared at him for touching my iHome.

"Like?" he asked when I didn't explain.

"I have to bake two batches of cupcakes, a cheesecake, two homemade pizzas, and then I have to decorate the cupcakes before Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline come over tonight." I explained to him as I finished making the mix for the cupcakes.

"Why are they coming over? Is there a birthday that I missed or something?" he asked not really caring.

"No, its girl's only night." I said to him.

"Girl's only, huh? So that means I can't come down from my room all night." He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Glad we understand each other, Damon." I said to him smiling happily as I put the cupcakes in the oven.

"Right. And what exactly do you suggest I do for the rest of the night in my room, all alone?" he asked smirking.

"I don't know. But I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." I said smirking back at him.

"Glad to see that I can do absolutely nothing tonight in my own house." He said sarcastically as he washed his mug.

"That's the spirit." I said smiling brightly as I started making the second batch of cupcakes.

"Whatever." He said as walked out of the kitchen. I shrugged to myself and turned my music back on.

 

Two hours later, I had twenty four cupcakes baked and decorated for tonight. Now I just need to bake the cheesecake and the pizzas.

I finished with the cheesecake and put it in the oven. I turned around to go and clean up my mess when I smacked right into Damon's chest.

"Damon! Quit sneaking up on me!" I exclaimed as I backed away from him flustered.

"Its how I get my daily intake of amusement." He said smirking as he leaned against the counter.

"Of course it is." I said as I looked through the cupboard for the ingredients for the pizzas. I started searching around and saw that I only had half of the things I need. I sighed annoyed and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper.

I finished writing down the things that I needed and set the paper on the counter next to Damon. I checked on the cheesecake. It still needed at least another forty-five minutes. By that time it would already be noon and the pizza need time to bake. I heard Damon sigh dejectedly.

"I'll go and get the stuff you need." He said annoyed.

"Really?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes." He said as he picked up the list and scanned over it.

"Okay, thanks. Let me just run upstairs and get you some money." I said to him.

"No need. I'll pay for it." He said as he hopped off the counter and walked out of the kitchen.

"Thank you!" I shouted after him.

I shook my head confused at what just happened and started cleaning up as I waited for Damon to get back.

 

About fifteen minutes later, I was finished cleaning , Damon wasn't here yet, and my cheesecake wasn't done, so I ran up to my room and grabbed the magazine that Caroline gave to me the day we went shopping and plugged my headphones into my iPod. I hopped up on the counter and listened to my iPod while reading the magazine.

My new favorite song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri came on and I started singing it out loud since no one was home.

 

Heart beats fast  
Colors and promises  
How do be brave  
How can I love when I'm afraid  
To fall  
But watching you stand alone  
All of my doubt  
Suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday  
waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more

Time stands still  
Beauty in all she is  
I will be brave  
I will not let anything  
Take away  
What's standing in front of me  
Every breath,  
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died everyday

Waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more

And all along I believed  
I would find you  
Time has brought  
Your heart to me  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more

One step closer

One step closer

I have died everyday  
Waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid,  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more

And all along I believed  
I would find you  
Time has brought  
Your heart to me  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more

 

"Nice song." I heard Damon say from across the room. My eyes widened as I quickly took my headphones out.

"How much of that did you hear?" I asked as I blushed furiously.

"All of it." He said smirking.

"Awesome." I said sarcastically as I hopped down from the counter.

I started unpacking all of the groceries to make sure he didn't forget anything.

"Perfect." I said as I saw that everything was there. "Thanks, Damon." I said to him as I started making the dough for the pizza.

"Need help?" he asked.

"Have you made a homemade pizza before?" I asked. He nodded. "Awesome. You make the black olives and cheese and I'll make the pepperoni pizza." I said as I cleared a work space for us.

 

Four hours later, everything was ready for girl's night and school was finally out. Only two more hours and they were going to come. I figured I would go to the Grill and get a late lunch since I was baking all day. I walked up to my room and put on a pair of converse and grabbed my purse.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked as I was about to walk out the door.

"Late lunch at the Grill, wanna come?" I offered not really thinking that he would accept it.

"Sure." He shrugged.

We got to the Grill and ordered lunch and we barely starting to eat when I spotted Noah walked in.

"Oh, crap." I said horrified.

"What?" Damon asked annoyed.

"Noah's here. I have to go. I'll see you back at the house." I said quickly.

"No, no. Stay. I want to make him squirm." He said as he got up and slid into the booth next to me. I raised my eyebrows at him in confusion.

"Just go with it, Charlotte." He said as he put an arm around me shoulders. I rolled my eyes and sighed in annoyance, but went with it anyway.

"Hey, Charlotte." Noah said nervously.

"Hey, Noah." I said fake smiling.

"Sorry, about standing you up yesterday. Some things came up last minute." He apologized fakely.

"Not a problem, dude." Damon said smiling fakely. "If you didn't stand her up, I would have never had the courage to ask her out."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Noah asked annoyed.

"Damon Salvatore, Charlotte's new boyfriend." Damon said introducing himself as I choked on my water. My what? I looked at him like he was crazy before smiling in confirmation at Noah.

"Well, I'll just leave you and your boyfriend to your lunch, Charlotte." Noah said annoyed as he backed away.

"Boyfriend?" I hissed to Damon once Noah was out of site.

"Got him to leave you alone didn't it." Damon said nonchalantly as he pulled his plate towards him.

"Whatever." I said annoyed as shrugged off his arm and started eating my lunch again. I looked over at Damon and saw him pouting at me.

"What now?" I asked him annoyed.

"My arm was comfortable." He said pouting.

"Get over it. My shoulder was uncomfortable." I said smirking at him. Lie. My shoulder was very comfortable. And that is a very big problem.

"Meanie." He said as he munched on some fries.

"Never said I was nice." I said as we finished up our lunch.

 

I was finishing setting up the living room when the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" I called out.

"I got it!" Damon called back. I rolled my eyes. He was stalling.

"Are you ready to party, Charlotte?" Caroline exclaimed smiling brightly as she came bouncing into the living room.

"What's got you so smiley? Does it have something to do with a certain boy that was in your bed this morning?" I teased her. She blushed and put her bag on the couch.

"Not at all." She said clearly lying.

"That's a straight up lie, Caroline." Bonnie told her as her and Elena came into the room. "You should have seen her at school today. It's like they've been apart for years. It's really sickening." She added to me.

"Like you and Jeremy or Elena and Stefan are any better." Caroline scoffed.

"So glad I don't have a boyfriend." I said in relief.

"Aah, did you forget about our relationship already?" Damon taunted as he came into the living room and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"What relationship?" Elena exclaimed as she glared at Damon.

"Relax, Lena. We don't have a relationship. We barely even have a friendship." I told her as I got myself out of Damon's grip.

"Now, Charlotte. It's not nice to lie to your best friends about your new boyfriend." Damon teased me.

"We aren't dating." I said annoyed while glaring daggers at him.

"Sure, we aren't. See you later, sweetheart." He said as he kissed my cheek and walked out of the living room. My jaw dropped.

"Elena?" I asked her still in shock.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Do you think Stefan would be angry if, I don't know, say Damon went missing for a few weeks, months, possibly years?" I said her as innocently as I could.

"Come on. He was just messing with you." Caroline said trying to defuse the tension in the room.

"Mm-hm. He seems to do that a lot." I huffed.

"Come on. Let's get this girls night started, yeah?" Bonnie said breaking the tension in the room.

"Sure." Elena said as she went into the kitchen. I groaned. Damon is so going to get it.

"Lena, you know I would never date someone like Damon, right?" I asked her as we were all sitting in the living room eating.

"Yeah, I just worry about you Char. You know that." She said with a small smile.

"I know." I said softly, the guilt about not telling her getting to me.

"So, why did Damon bring it up that you two were in a relationship?" Bonnie asked.

"Because I saw Noah at the Grill today." I said.

"Noah?" Bonnie and Elena asked.

"Ohmygod, I totally forgot to ask how your date went." Caroline squealed.

"Noah was a guy that I ran into, literally, in town a couple of days ago. He asked me out and we were supposed to meet at the Grill last night." I explained to Bonnie and Elena.

"What do you mean supposed to?" Caroline asked.

"He stood me up. No surprise there, but I sat there and waited for twenty minutes. Poor Matt tried to comfort me." I explained to Caroline.

"He stood you up? Are you serious?" Care exclaimed.

"Yeah, and then he had the nerve to come up to me at the Grill and 'apologize'." I told her while rolling my eyes.

"So, where does Damon fit into this?" Elena asked.

"Damon and I had a late lunch at the Grill after baking all day and Noah showed up as we started eating. Then Damon came up with the stupid plan of making Noah jealous. He told Noah that he was my new boyfriend and since Noah stood me up, Damon mustered up the courage to ask me out after so long." I explained. We all started laughing.

"So that's why he came in here teasing you about being his girlfriend?" Elena asked amused.

"Yeah, I have no idea why, but yeah." I said smiling amused.

 

For the rest of the night we gossiped and painted each other's nails and watched sappy romantic comedies, just like we did before I moved. It made me want to tell them that I was going to die soon, even more. I was about to went Caroline caught me off guard.

"Hey, Char?" she called over to me as she painted Elena's nails.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"What would you think about living in Mystic Falls permanently?" she asked curiously. My throat tightened up at her question.

"I don't know, Care. I'd have to find a job, a place to live… and who would hire a college dropout?" I admitted.

"You dropped out of college?" Bonnie asked shocked.

"Yeah, some things came up at home and I couldn't continue school." I said half-lying.

"I sure that my mom or Mrs. Lockwood could find you a good job and a place to live, easy." Caroline said reasoning with me.

"I don't know, Care. I'll think about it, okay?" I assured her.

"Good." She said smiling.

"So, what went on here while I was gone? I read online about a bunch of animal attacks." I asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing much. Just some loose animals that terrorized the town for a couple of years." Elena said tensely.

"Really? That's never happened before. The articles that I read seemed a bit… odd." I said in disbelief.

"People suspected that it was something else. Nothing to worry about." Caroline said shrugging it off. There's something that they're not telling me and I'm going to find out what.

 

By 9:00pm, we were all tired and ready to call it a night. The girls were packing up their things and putting them in their cars.

"Elena, come here!" Caroline and Bonnie exclaimed as they came running back into the house. Elena and I exchanged looks. I shrugged and she walked outside with Caroline and Bonnie. I started cleaning up when they came back in.

"Hey Char?" Caroline called out.

"Yeah?" I asked as I turned out. I raised my eyebrows at them once I saw something behind Caroline's back.

"We all wanted to get you something to welcome you back to Mystic Falls." Caroline announced as she pulled a guitar case from behind her back. My eyes widened.

"Mrs. Lockwood mentioned to my mom that you were going to perform at the Founders Party, so we thought that you were going to be in need of a guitar since your old one broke." Caroline explained smiling guiltily. I laughed softly.

"You mean since you ran it over with Tyler's electric scooter before I moved away." I said amused.

"Same difference." She scoffed jokingly.

"Thank you guys, so much." I said as I hugged them.

"Open it up." Elena said smiling. Caroline handed the case to me and I opened it. I gasped when I saw it. An all black acoustic guitar with my name engraved on the neck. I closed my eyes trying not to cry.

"Guys, you're going to make me cry and I don't want to cry." I whined as I got up and hugged them all again. "Thank you. I love it." I thanked them again.

"Your welcome. It's the least that I could do for breaking your other one." Caroline said smiling.

"We expect a new song by next week, Char." Bonnie said to me.

"That's... doable. I guarantee that it will be the best song that you have ever heard in your life." I told them as we walked to the door.

I walked back into the living room to finish cleaning after I said goodbye to the girls.

"Girl's night was messy." Damon commented from the entrance of the living room. I gasped in shock at the sound of his voice.

"That's twice today, Damon. Your daily intake of amusement should be full." I said jokingly.

"Not quite." He said looking at my guitar case. "What's that?" he asked.

"A guitar." I teased.

"No, really." He said sarcastically. "I meant, what's it doing here?" he asked annoyed.

"Oh, the girls gave it to me as a welcome back gift. Also since Caroline ran over my old one six years ago, I needed a new one." I explained.

"What for?" he asked as he followed me into the kitchen.

"I'm the live entertainment at the Founders Party." I explained as I started washing the dishes.

"Founders Party? Really? Those things are so boring." He said rolling his eyes.

"Then why do you go?" I asked him.

"Because Stefan and I are part of the Founding Families." He explained.

"Sucks for you." I said jokingly.

"Whatever. See you in the morning, sweetheart." He said winking at me and walking out of the kitchen. I huffed as I finished washing the dishes. He is soo going to get it in the morning. I thought smirking.


	8. I Live With Two Vampires!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie gets her revenge on Damon, the gang goes to a carnival, and Charlie finds out that her housemates aren't exactly human.

Chapter 7

Charlotte's POV

 

I woke up the next morning ready for my revenge. I looked over at the clock and figured that Damon and Stefan would both be up. I quickly got dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, a sequin tank top, and threw a grey cardigan over it. I clipped my locket on my neck and slipped on some sandals. I walked into my bathroom and quickly did my hair. I ended up leaving it down with a black headband in it. Then I quickly put on some mascara, light pink lip gloss, took my medicine, and I was ready to go.

I walked out of my room and made a detour past Damon's room. I heard his shower running and smirked, already knowing what I was going to do. Just as I was walking back to my room, I spotted Stefan walking out of his room. I walked over to him and motioned for him to follow me into my room.

I quickly explained what I was going to do and asked him to help. He agreed and ran back to the other bathroom in the house. I dialed his number on my phone.

"Ready?" I asked him.

"Ready." He said through the phone.

"1… 2… 3!" I counted down. On three both of us flushed the toilets and turned on the sinks as fast as we could.

Promptly we heard, "God dammit!" come from Damon's bathroom. Stefan and were laughing hard as we walked downstairs. Once in the kitchen we heard Damon come down the stairs.

"Brother, annoying houseguest that won't leave." He greeted us threw gritted teeth, with only a towel wrapped around his torso and suds in his hair. I tried so hard not to laugh and so hard not to stare at his absolutely hot body.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" I asked him innocently cocking my head to the side.

"Aww, so this was your idea. That is going to make my life a hell of a lot more fun, babe." he said smirking and walked out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. Once he was gone Stefan and I started laughing again.

"So, since you helped me get Damon back, you can pick what's for breakfast." I told Stefan. He cheered dramatically. I rolled my eyes in amusement.

"How about waffles?" he asked smirking.

"You know I was thinking the same thing, Salvatore." I said smirking and then started to get the ingredient out for waffles.

 

After breakfast, Stefan went over to Elena's house and Damon left to go somewhere, so I went up to my room to grab my guitar and my song notebook. I walked back into the living room and sat down on the floor with my back to the couch and my stuff spread out around me. I started playing random chords to start getting the hang of playing again. I remember learning to play Taking Chances, the Glee Version, and started to write the lyrics and chords in my notebook so I could practice it. I started strumming my guitar as the chords all started to come back to me. I put my notebook in front of my so I could see the lyrics and notes.

 

Don't know much about your life.  
Don't know much about your world, but  
Don't want to be alone tonight,  
On this planet they call earth.

You don't know about my past, and  
I don't have a future figured out.  
And maybe this is going too fast.  
And maybe it's not meant to last,

But what do you say to taking chances,  
What do you say to jumping off the edge?  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below  
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,  
What do you say,  
What do you say?

I just want to start again,  
And maybe you could show me how to try,  
And maybe you could take me in,  
Somewhere underneath your skin?

What do you say to taking chances,  
What do you say to jumping off the edge?

Never knowing if there's solid ground below  
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,  
What do you say,  
What do you say?

And I had my heart beaten down,  
But I always come back for more, yeah.  
There's nothing like love to pull you up,  
When you're laying down on the floor there.  
So talk to me, talk to me,  
Like lovers do.  
Yeah walk with me, walk with me,  
Like lovers do,  
Like lovers do.

What do you say to taking chances,  
What do you say to jumping off the edge?  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below  
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,  
What do you say,  
What do you say?

Don't know much about your life,  
Don't know much about your world.

 

I heard people clapping and opened my eyes quickly. I blushed furiously as I saw Elena, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Jeremy, and Damon standing in front of me.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought you left." I asked them but directed the last statement to Damon.

"We all came over to see if you want to go to the carnival that's in town." Caroline said as she smiled at me.

"You could not have called me?" I suggested still a little embarrassed.

"Why did we think of that?" Elena asked shaking her head amused.

"I kind of wish you would have thought of it." I mumbled as I put my guitar up.

"Aww, don't be like that, babe. You were great, just like yesterday." Damon said smirking, knowing that this would cause drama.

"Babe?" Tyler and Jeremy exclaimed as Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline exclaimed, "Yesterday?" I glared at Damon while he just smirked back at me. I sighed as I put my guitar and notebook in the case.

"First off, we aren't dating. Second, I was singing a song when I thought that no one was home and Damon conveniently got home in time to hear it." I explained answering both of their questions.

"Now I'm going to run upstairs and then we can go to the carnival." I said grabbing my guitar case and walking upstairs. He is so going to get it.

 

Five minutes later, we were on our way to the carnival that was in the next town over. Conveniently, I had to ride with Damon because there wasn't enough room for everyone on Elena's SUV. I was going to protest, but instead just sighed and got into Damon's car.

"I'm surprised that you didn't put up a fight with Caroline." Damon teased as he drove.

"Yup, no one listens to me anyways, so why protest." I said simply. Damon smirked at me agreeing.

"Sooo, how long until we get there?" I asked bored as I fiddled with his radio.

"Okay one, don't touch the radio. And two, you'll know when we get there." He answered vaguely. I huffed and looked out the window.

"Aww, don't be like that, baby." He said smirking. I glared at him his reflection through the window.

"Okay, why don't we get to know each other better since you are living with me for the next five months." He complied. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Don't look at me that way. I'm trying here." He mumbled as he drove. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. You first." I told him.

"Fine. Favorite color?" he asked simply.

"Seriously? Such a bland question. But, it's orange." I answered. He looked at me weird. "What?" I asked offended.

"Orange? Seriously?" he asked laughing.

"At least my favorite color is an actual color. Black isn't even considered a color." I snorted.

"You are just going to assume that black is my favorite color." He said raising an eyebrow at me.

"Well, considering that you wear nothing but black…" I said trailing off.

"Whatever, ask away." He said.

"Would you rather go bungee jumping or sky diving?" I asked randomly. He started laughing.

"Bungee jumping." He answered as he chuckled.

"Really? I've always wanted to go sky diving, but I've never found anyone to go with me." I said randomly. "Your turn." I told him.

"Okay, if you could meet any one person, dead or alive, who would it be?" he asked. I groaned.

"Only one?" I asked.

"Only one." He confirmed.

"Such a difficult question." I grumbled. "But, I would have to go with… F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite tragic love stories." I said smiling.

"Nice choice. I would like to meet Jack London." He admitted.

"Author of Call of the Wild?" I asked unsure.

"Yeah, you read it?" he asked.

"Yeah, one of my favorite classic books." I said to him. "Okay, next question. If you could have any job, what would you do?" I asked him.

"Honestly, I haven't thought about anything like that in a long time. Since I came back to Mystic Falls, I just started working with the counsel." He admitted. "What about you?" he asked directing the question to me.

"A writer." I answered simply. "Ever since I was young I loved to write. I was planning on graduating from West Virginia University with a degree in it, but that was before the..." I said trailing off so I didn't accidentally tell him.

"Before the?" he asked.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." I answered quickly. "Next question." I told him changing the subject.

Luckily, Damon caught on that I did not want to talk about it, but not without giving me a look that said 'this is not over'.

 

For the rest of the ride to the carnival, we just asked silly, simple questions. Damon is quite enjoyable when he isn't being an ass about everything.

Once we got to the carnival, I jumped out of Damon's car and stretched my legs. Caroline and Elena came over to make sure that Damon and I didn't strangle each other on the way over here. I rolled my eyes at them and told them that I wouldn't kill him while he was driving because that would put my life on the line. Elena rolled her eyes amused at my comment and Caroline agreed and laughed. Once they knew I was okay they ran off to their boyfriends.

"So what do you want to do?" Damon asked as we watched each pair go off into the carnival.

"I don't know. I've never been to a carnival before." I admitted to him.

"Really? That's surprising." Damon said amused.

"Whatever. I'll just go off on my own then." I said shrugging at him and walked in the opposite way.

"Get real, Charlotte. I'm not about to let you get lost and have Elena kill me." Damon said as he caught up with me.

"You aren't my babysitter you know." I mumbled as we walked through the carnival.

"No, but might as well try to be friends since we are going to living with each other for a while." He compromised. I looked at him skeptically for a second before sighing.

"Fine, we can be friends." I said to him. "Now, what do you propose we do first?" I asked him.

"Rollercoaster." He said immediately smirking.

 

Much to my surprise, Damon and I actually had a good time at the carnival, despite the fact that my so called friends ditched us.

"I had no idea that carnivals were that much fun." I gushed to Damon as he drove us home.

"You've really never been to a carnival before?" he asked not convinced.

"I've really never been to a carnival before. You might not believe this, but I tend to keep to myself a lot." I told him mock seriously.

"Really? I had no idea." He said sarcastically.

"Whatever, Mr. Outgoing." I said amused.

"But really? Why be like that?" he asked seriously.

"Trust it's nothing interesting." I told him shrugging off the subject.

"It's obviously something, Charlotte." He said softly. I sighed dejectedly.

"Fine. I like to be that way because nobody can hurt me. Emotionally, verbally, or physically. There's nobody to disappoint me, to lie to me, to cheat on me, to-" I started listing off, but Damon cut in.

"To love you." He said softly and looking at me sadly. "To make you happy, to take care of you, to protect you." He listed off countering my list.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me, or protect me, or make me happy." I said quietly.

"Or love you?" he questioned.

"Or love me." I said shakily as I closed my eyes. Who could ever love a dying person? I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

"Charlotte?" Damon questioned softly. I quickly opened my eyes.

"Why are we even talking about such a depressing subject? Let's talk about something else." I said with a fake smile. "Tell me about the Founders Party coming up." I suggested to him.

He nodded and proceeded to tell me about the Founders Party for the rest of the ride.

 

We got home before Stefan and I felt exhausted. I told Damon that I was going to bed. I got up to my room and tossed my purse on the floor next to my bed and walked into the bathroom.

I took out my headband and wiped off my makeup. Then I walked over to my closet and threw my shoes inside. I got out of my regular clothes and changed into a hoodie from WVU, a pair of grey sweats and a pair of ankle socks. I through my hair up in a ponytail and crawled into my bed trying to go to sleep.

For hours I tossed and turned in my bed trying to get comfortable. I groaned frustrated and got up out of bed. I sighed opened my door softly not wanting to disturb the Salvatore brothers'. I walked downstairs as quietly as I could, but paused on the steps when I heard voices from the kitchen.

"You know Stefan I can act civil towards a human when I want to." I heard Damon say. Human?

"Yes, I know you can Damon. But the fact of the matter is that you don't like humans anymore. It took you forever to just be civil with Bonnie and she's a witch." Stefan said back to Damon. Bonnie's a witch? Wait, what?

"I'm a vampire, Stefan. We both are. Vampires and witches don't exactly see eye to eye on everything or anything for that matter. I barely see how Blondie puts up with Witchy." Damon said. My eyes widened at that word. Vampire? No they couldn't be. Vampires eat people. They bite you in the neck and… Ohmygod. Those weren't animal attacks!

I screamed loudly and clutched the railing so I didn't fall down the stairs. Elena has me living with bloodsucking vampires!

"Charlotte!" Damon called out. "Charlotte! Are you alright?" he asked frantically as he and Stefan saw me clutching the banister.

"Charlotte? What happened?" Stefan asked this time. I took a deep breath trying to figure out what I was going to tell them because I sure as hell wasn't telling them that I know about them.

"This dream I had." I said softly as I formed the lie in my head. "It felt so real."

"What dream?" Damon asked looking concerned.

"I-I don't remember. It was dark and cold. And all I heard was this voice and then my throat felt like it was being ripped open." I explained hoping they were buying the lie as I shakily sat down on the step.

"Why do you scream when you were right here then?" Damon asked in disbelief.

"I got up and walked down here, but I stopped because I thought I saw someone and I just panicked." I said hoping he would buy it. "I'm sorry if I woke you guys up." I added looking down at my feet.

"It's alright, Charlotte. No harm done, right Damon?" Stefan said to me.

"Yeah, no harm done." Damon repeated thoughtfully.

"Why don't you go back to your room and try to sleep again." Stefan suggested. I froze. Sleep? In a house with two vampires? Yeah, I don't think so. I have to talk to Elena. She has to know about this and has some explaining to do.

"N-no." I exclaimed as I quickly got up. They looked at each other and then at me.

"Nothing is going to hurt you, Charlotte." Stefan said. "Damon and I are here." He assured me. Yeah, that's the part I'm worried about...

"I have to go and see Elena." I exclaimed as I turned and ran back upstairs.

"Charlotte, it's almost eleven o'clock at night. You can see her tomorrow." Damon said to me as he and Stefan followed me into my room.

"N-no, I have to see her right now." I said shakily as I got on my Ugg boots and grabbed my car keys.

"Fine, if you have to see her right now, I'll drive you." Damon said as they followed me out of my room and downstairs.

I panicked. "No!" I shouted as we made it to the front door. I wasn't about to let them within a fifteen mile radius of me. "I mean, no thank you. I can handle it." I said calmer and practically ran out of the house and to my car leaving a very confused Stefan and a very suspicious Damon.

I made it to Elena's house in record time. I ran out of my car and to their front door.

"Elena! Jeremy!" I shouted as I pounded on the door. "Open the damn door!" I shouted out frantically. The door swung open and a sleepy Jeremy was on the other end.

"What's going on, Charlotte?" Jeremy asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"I have to see Elena. Like now." I said as I ran past him and up the stairs. I burst into Elena's room without even knocking.

"Charlotte? What the hell is going on?" Elena asked concerned.

"Elena Miranda Gilbert, why the hell am I living in the same house as two freaking vampires?" I exclaimed to her with wide eyes. Her eyes widened as big as mine and her mouth dropped open.


	9. Meeting Alaric Saltzman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie is finally introduced to the supernatural world and meets her future BFF, Alaric.

Chapter 8

Charlotte's POV

 

"Told you she'd find out." Jeremy mumbled from the door frame. I shot a nasty glare at him.

"You might not want to start with me right now, Jeremy Grayson Gilbert." I said evenly and then turned back to Elena.

"Care to explain, Elena? Like, now." I said sternly to her. I was angry on the outside, but I was still shocked, confused, and a bit scared on the inside.

"You might want to sit down, Char. It's a long story." Elena said gravely.

"So, you mean to tell me that my best friend Caroline is a vampire that was turned by Katherine. My other best, Bonnie, is a witch from a long line of witches. Jeremy saw ghosts at one time and has died twice and come back to life both times. The Salvatore brothers' are vampires from the Civil War era. Tyler is a werewolf from a long line of werewolves. Your history teacher, Alaric is a master vampire hunter. And you Elena, are a human doppelganger of a woman named Katherine Pierce and a hybrid original named Klaus was after you at one time. Is that correct?" I asked her making sure that I didn't miss anything.

"Yup." She said. "And we haven't even begun the story yet. That's just who's who now." She added.

"Awesome." I said sarcastically.

 

After a few more hours I was caught up on everything. Elena's parents dying, her and Stefan, her and Damon, Klaus, the Originals, Stefan turning bad, then good, Klaus dying, and now her and Stefan living happily ever after.

"My goodness, I just missed all of the fun didn't I?" I said sarcastically as me and her were lying on her bed and Jeremy was sprawled out on the floor snoring away.

"Yeah, you did. You come back when the town is out of its supernatural phase, minus the supernatural beings that now live here." She said amused.

I laughed. "Poor Matt. He must feel left out of the Supernatural Beings of the World Club." I said smiling.

"Try lucky Matt." She said shaking her head.

"Well, he's not really lucky when he has you guys as his friends, now is he?" I told her sarcastically. She laughed and shook her head.

"I guess not." She said. "You know you're taking this surprising well." Elena said worried.

"Trust me, Elena. I'm fine. Once I stepped a foot back in this town I knew that something was different." I said yawning.

She laughed. "You want to crash here?" she asked sleepily.

"Please?" I asked as I closed my eyes.

"Good night, Char." She said amused before we both fell asleep.

 

The next morning Elena, Jeremy, and I woke up early, considering we stayed up the whole night. Jeremy and I went downstairs to make coffee as Elena called Stefan.

"Make me coffee, Gilbert." I ordered him as I sat down on the counter.

"Why me? You can do it." He scoffed even though he started making the coffee.

"Because I'm the guest. Now be like a proper host and make your guest some coffee." I told him.

Then I heard the doorbell ring. I looked at Jeremy who shrugged and went back to making the coffee. I shook my head and walked to the door. I opened it and saw Damon and Stefan standing on the other side.

"You missy never came home last night." Damon said smirking at me. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't afraid of him like he probably thought I was.

"Whatever, Damon. Bye." I said amusing him as I shut the door in his face. I heard two whooshes go past my ears as I turned around to walk back into the kitchen.

"Didn't know that I could do that did you." He said smirking cockily.

"Sorry to burst your abnormally large egotistical bubble, Damon, but I know everything." I said smirking as I walked back into the kitchen.

"Damn." He said disappointed. "But you haven't seen my fangs yet." He said smirking as he appeared in front of me again. I gasped dramatically as his eyes turned red and black and blue veins appeared on his face. I tried to keep a straight face, but I failed.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" I said laughing at the pout forming on his face.

"Yes, yes it was." He pouted as he followed me. I poured a travel cup of coffee so that I could go back to the Salvatore mansion to get ready for the day. I grabbed it and my keys and walked to the bottom of the steps.

"Lena! I'm leaving." I shouted.

"Alright, Char. See you later." She shouted back.

"Wait, where you going?" Damon asked as he followed me outside.

"Home to get changed. And will you quit following me like a lost puppy." I told him annoyed.

"One, Damon Salvatore is no lost puppy and two, I was not following you." Damon defended.

"Right. Would you rather me call it stalking?" I asked her as I unlocked my car.

"Whatever. Give me a ride home would you." Damon asked as he got into my car.

"Sure, why not." I said sarcastically as I got into my car.

 

We got back to the mansion and Damon and I went our separate ways. I walked up to my room to get ready for the day. I threw on a pair of skinny jeans, a black sequin tank top, and my brown gladiator sandals. I went into the bathroom and took my medicine and brushed out my hair. I grabbed my white fedora and popped it on my head. I quickly did my mascara and put lip gloss on my lips and I was ready to go. I went back into my room and grabbed my cell phone off of my dresser and picked up my bag off the floor and I was out the door.

"Later, Damon." I shouted into the living room.

"Whatever." He shouted back. I took it as a goodbye.

I hopped in my car and drove into town. I got to town and parked in front of the park. I grabbed my phone and my purse and hopped out of my car.

I started walking around the park, just soaking up how nice it felt outside. I was walking for five minutes when I felt my phone vibrate. I looked at the caller id and almost dropped my phone in absolute shock. My mother was calling me. I admit I was a bit scared to answer it, but I took a deep breath and answered it.

"Hello." I answered a bit shakily.

"Charlotte Emerson Buchanan. What in God's name gave you the instinct to just run off like that?" my mother nearly shouted through the phone.

"It's nice to finally talk to you too, Mother." I said sarcastically.

"Don't use that voice with me, Charlotte. Now answer my question." She scolded.

"Let's see, Mother. One, you basically kicked me out of the house because I was ruining your image. And two, I stopped responding to treatments so why am I going to stick around a place where I'm not wanted and a place where I don't want to be." I said frustrated.

"Charlotte, we do want you here. It is just that you are 21. You should have graduated from college this year. You should have your own place and get a job and pay for your own treatments." She told me.

"Mother, I have cancer and I'm dying. How the hell do you want me to keep a steady job?" I asked her annoyed because she didn't understand what I was saying.

"You seem to be doing just fine in Mystic Falls with your friends." She said snottily.

"I'm spending the time that I have left with people who actually love me and actually show me that they love me." I said to her.

"Charlotte Emerson Buchanan if you do not get your butt back here by tomorrow morning I will call the police." My mother threatened.

"Yeah, what are they going to do? I'm 21 remember, mother. I'll call you later, Mother. Tell Josh that I miss him." I said and hung up angry.

I huffed and started to cross the street not really paying attention to anything. As I was about to step out onto the crosswalk I felt two arms wrap around my waist and pull me back as a car raced by me honking loudly. My eyes widened. I almost got run over by a car. Holy crap! I really need to stop with the near death situations.

"Are you alright?" the guy who pulled me back asked me concerned. I nodded unable to find me voice.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I took a deep breath.

"Yeah, thank you so much. I-I was… distracted." I managed to say.

"Not a problem. I'm Alaric Saltzman." He said smiling as he introduced himself. Alaric? Like Elena's history teacher?

"I'm Charlotte Buchanan. Do you by any chance teach history at the high school?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I do. How'd you know?" he asked curiously.

"My friends go there and have your classes and I'm pretty sure you dated one of my other friends, Jenna Sommers?" I asked him. A pained look crossed his face, but disappeared quickly.

"Yeah, I dated Jenna. Do your friends happen to be Elena Gilbert, her brother Jeremy, and her best friends Caroline and Bonnie?" he asked.

"Yeah, and Tyler Lockwood and his friend Matt. Oh, and the Salvatore brothers, well only Stefan, now that I'm living with them for the time being." I added smiling. Alaric looked shocked for a second, but quickly recovered.

"That's great. They are great hosts." He said lying with a false smile.

I walked closer to him. "Between you and me Alaric, we both now that those two vampires, especially Damon, aren't the best hosts in the town." I whispered softly so no one else heard me. I stepped back and saw his eyes go wide.

"You know about them?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah, but me being the last person to know everything, I found out the hard way." I told him.

"Damon didn't… you know." He said gesturing to his neck.

My eyes widened a bit. "Oh no. He didn't try to snack on me, Alaric. I overheard them talking about them being vampires last night and I kind of freaked out and drove over to Elena's house demanding what the hell was going on, more or less." I said smiling. He chuckled.

"So you know everything?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, then. Since you know everything about me, why don't you tell me some things about you over lunch, as friends of course?" he asked jokingly.

"I suppose that would be alright. Lead the way, Mr. Saltzman." I told him gesturing towards the Grill.

"Let's just try not to get hit by any cars this time." He teased. I rolled my eyes and laughed along with him.

 

Alaric and I got along really well. We had a lot in common, such as our love for history. We had lunch and talked for a couple hours. I had a really good time, but like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And for us, that end is Damon.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Damon taunted as he walked up to the table that Alaric and I were sitting at.

"Damon." Alaric greeted evenly. I could tell that he was still angry with Damon for killing him.

"Ric, what are you doing with my annoying houseguest?" Damon asked as he sat down right next to me. I rolled my eyes.

"And here I though that we were starting to be friends." I muttered knowing full well that he could hear me.

"Charlotte and I were having lunch and getting to know each other." Alaric answered.

"Really, now Ric that sounds like a date to me." Damon said smirking.

"Then why would you interrupt us, if you knew we were on a date, Damon?" I asked him smirking.

"That's what I do. I interrupt things." He taunted.

"Or perhaps you were jealous." I teased him.

"And what would give you such a stupid assumption like that?" he asked annoyed with no emotion whatsoever on his face.

"I don't know that's you business, not mine. I'll see you back at the house, Damon." I told him as I got up. "Alaric, would you mind walking me to my car?" I asked him smiling brightly

"It would be my honor." He said as got up with me and with that we walked out of the Grill, leaving Damon sitting there annoyed.

"I don't know how you stayed friends with him for so long." I told Alaric as we walked across the park to my car.

"Trust me, it wasn't like it was a walk in the park." He said not realizing his analogy. I laughed as he realized what he just said. "Bad analogy." He muttered.

"It's a good thing you're a History teacher and not an English teacher." I teased him. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He mumbled with a smile on his face.

I was just about to say a comeback when Alaric froze. "Crap." He muttered.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"Play along." He said as he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through mine. I raised my eyebrows at him, but nodded none the less.

"Alaric, what's got you out on this Saturday afternoon?" a very creepy looking woman asked as she approached us, completely ignoring me.

"Just spending the day with my girlfriend, Annie. She came into town just yesterday." He lied through his teeth. I smiled and played along.

"Oh." She muttered annoyed as she shot a discreet glare in my direction. "I though you two broke up." She said. "But it's good to finally meet you, Annie. I'm Hanna Adamson, Alaric's co-worker." She added smiling falsely.

"Nice to meet you too, but we really must be going, Alaric, if we don't want to be late for lunch with my parents." I made up really quick.

"Of course, sweetheart." He said to me with a grateful smile. "I will see you on Monday, Hanna." He said and we walked to my car quicker than before.

"Alaric, I don't know if you noticed, but she seemed a little… oh what's the word… oh I know, creepy." I told him laughing.

"Yeah, that's the English teacher at the high school. She's had a crush on me since I started working there." He explained as he let go of my hand.

"Yeah, I'm going to declare her a stalker now." I teased him as we made it to my car.

"Yeah, way past stalker by now. Thanks for helping me, by the way." He said thanking me.

"Not a problem. Now we are even." I told him as I dug my keys out of my purse. "I'll see you later, Ric. Try to stay away from Creepy Hanna, would you?" I teased him.

"Shouldn't be to hard considering that we work in the same school." He said sarcastically.

"Whatever, Ric. I'll see you later." I told him smiling brightly as I got in my car.

"Later, Charlotte." He said waving as I drove off. I have a feeling that we are going to be the best of friends.


	10. The Disastrous Founders Party Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie finally shows of her talent to the world...or at least to everyone at the Founders Party in Mystic Falls.

Chapter 9

Charlotte's POV

2 and ½ Months Later

 

After three months of living in Mystic Falls again, I was starting to get attached. Not a very good idea. But anyway for the past two and a half months I been mainly hanging out with Alaric (my new BFF), practicing for the Founders Party, and meeting with Carol and the band that she hired to play with me during the party. I am currently in my room making my final corrections on my songs. My phone rang loudly interrupting me.

"Hello, whoever you are." I answered without looking at the caller id.

"That's the weirdest greeting I've ever heard." Alaric's voice said laughing through my phone.

"Now your life is complete." I said sarcastically.

"Whoa, okay. You feeling okay today?" he asked worried.

"Yeah, sorry. It's this stupid Founders Party today. I'm worried that I will totally suck." I said groaning.

"You worry too much, Char." He said to me.

"I know. So, what were you going to ask me?" I asked him remembering that he called me.

"Oh, yeah. Will you be my date to the Founders Party? The Council is required to have dates and I can only turn down Creepy Hanna so many times." He asked desperately.

"Sure, Alaric. Pick me up at seven. But I'm going to be away from you for half the night." I told him.

"I'll take you gone for half the night over Creepy Hanna any day." He said in relief.

"Alright, Ric. No need to sound so desperate." I teased.

"I will have you know-" he started but I cut him off.

"Sorry, Ric. Gotta go! Caroline's here. See you later." I told him quickly before he could start ranting and hung up. I laughed to myself as I got up to get ready for the party.

 

I was ready a few minutes before seven. I had on a strapless goldish-cream dress that landed just above my knee, gold peep-toe pumps that showed my light pink toes. My hair was straightened and half up in a clip. I put on my locket followed by mascara, light pink lipstick, and my Wonderstruck perfume. I grabbed my cell phone and my keys and put them in my gold clutch. I picked up my guitar case and walked downstairs.

"So, how do I look?" I asked Damon and Stefan as I descended the stairs. Stefan smiled and grabbed my guitar case from me so I could walk down easier.

"You look amazing, Charlotte." Stefan complimented.

"Thank you, Stefan. You look quite spiffy yourself." I teased him. I looked over at Damon and saw that he had a half dreamy like look and a half angry look on his face.

"You alright there Damon?" I asked him. He seemed to snap out of his phase and cleared all the emotion from his face.

"I'm fine and you look very nice, Charlotte." He told me quickly.

"Thanks, Damon." I said softly. Then the bell rang loudly breaking the tension in the room. The three of us walked to the door. I smiled brightly as I saw Alaric and Elena on the other side.

"Ohmygosh, Char, you look amazing!" she gushed as soon as she saw me.

"Thanks, Lena. You look stunning." I told her. She blushed and nodded in thanks as her eyes flickered to Stefan. I walked outside with Alaric as Elena came inside with Stefan.

"You look beautiful, Char." He said smiling at me. I almost blushed like Elena, but I just smiled.

"Thank you, Alaric. You look pretty dashing in that suit. Way better than that teacher get up you usually wear." I teased him. He chuckled.

"I suppose that was a compliment." He teased.

I shook my head amused. "Ready to go?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He said as he offered me his arm. I smiled and was about to take it when I remembered my guitar. "Oh, wait. Stefan-" I started but was handed my guitar by Stefan in a matter of seconds.

"Stupid vampire speed." I muttered as Alaric took my guitar for me. Stefan smiled teasingly and sped back to Elena.

 

Alaric and I rode to the Lockwood Mansion with Damon, Stefan, and Elena. It was very awkward to say the least. Once we got to the Lockwoods' house we all went our separate ways. Damon went to the bar (no surprise there), Elena and Stefan caught up with Bonnie and Caroline (who gushed immensely over my dress and hair), and Alaric and I went to find Carol.

"Charlotte! You look wonderful! And Alaric you look dashing." Carol commented to us. We muttered our thanks before she continued on. "Alaric, you and Charlotte will be last to come down the stairs when the Council Members are called. And then Charlotte you will play your songs. You'll switch of with the other band, so you can have a break. Okay?" she asked the both of us.

"Okay." We said together.

"Great, see you guys later." She said excited. As soon as she left I turned to Alaric.

"Since when did I have to be announced with you and walk down the stairs?" I asked him.

"Since you agreed to be my date and you can't back out now. That would be breaking the rules of our friendship." Alaric said teasing.

"Damn those stupid rules." I said jokingly. "Fine, Alaric. I'll be a nice person and an even better friend and walk down the stairs with you." I agreed with him.

"Thank you." He said as he hugged me tightly. We broke apart once we heard the loudspeaker start to announce the Council Members.

"Ready?" he asked as we walked up the back stairs.

"As I'll ever be." I said smiling brightly as we came into view. I put my hand in the crook of his elbow and held on tight so I didn't fall.

"Councilmen of the Gilbert family, Alaric Saltzman with his date, Charlotte Buchanan." Carol said through the microphone as we descended the endless amount of stairs. Once we got to the bottom, we walked outside onto the long deck that was built especially for this event.

"See that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Alaric taunted.

"Make me angry, Ric, and you'll find yourself with Creepy Hanna for the remainder of the night, best friend code or not." I teased him with a very serious face. A horrified look passed through his face. Once I saw it I burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep a straight face on that one." I said still giggling.

"That was just plain mean." He pouted.

"Oh, Alaric. You're almost thirty years old. That pouty face doesn't work anymore." I told him while still laughing and walked over to the stage to get set up.

 

Halfway through night I had already played all four of my songs. I played The Call, If I Die Young, There's a Place for Us, and Lovely. All that I wrote about my cancer and my mother. I ended up dancing with Alaric, Tyler, Stefan, and Jeremy. The only guy I haven't danced with was Damon. Now I am currently standing to the side watching Alaric and Elena dance.

"Care to dance?" Damon's voice asked from behind me. I turned and saw him holding his hand out for my approval. I nodded and stuck my hand into his. And for some odd reason it felt like it belonged there.

We walked out onto the dance floor and the waltz started. We danced perfectly in sync with each, it was almost scary. I tried to take my eyes away from his, but I couldn't bring myself to actually do it. I saw his eyes look down at my lips and then back up to my eyes quickly. I saw him slowly start to lean in. Was he about to kiss me? I think so. Did I want him to kiss me? Yes, I did. But, why?

Unconsciously, I started to lean in too. This seems to make Damon lean in even more, until our lips were millimeters apart from each other.

"Damon, we have a big problem." Alaric said from behind Damon. I heard Damon growl very lowly in his chest. He pulled back quickly and walked away taking Alaric with him, without a look back at me. OH…MY…GOD! I was about to kiss Damon Salvatore. On my own free will! Why the hell am I disappointed that he didn't kiss me? Ohmygod, I'm so freakin' confused. I need some fresh air and I'm already outside.

I walked fast towards the house. I almost got to the study when I felt someone's hand on my throat. I gasped for air as I looked at the person's face. It was a vampire! Crap, what the hell is it with me and near death experiences? I whimpered as he squeezed my throat harder. He bared his fangs and was about to bite my neck when I heard Alaric.

"Let her go." He commanded coldly as he had a cross bow in his hand. The vampire hissed and squeezed tighter. Alaric saw this and shot the wooden stake into the vampire's heart. I fell to the ground, gasping for air. My throat felt like it was on fire as the air rushed into my lungs. I heard a whoosh go by me and I felt someone kneel by me.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" Alaric asked me. I nodded unable to speak. I looked over and saw Damon hauling the vampire's body over his shoulder and then running out of the house. Alaric helped me up and into the study.

"Here sit down here. I'll be right back, alright?" he told me. I nodded my throat still hurting.

After five minutes, Alaric still wasn't back, but my throat was feeling a lot better. I shakily stood up and grabbed the mirror on the desk. I gasped as I saw a large purple bruise that wrapped around my neck. I heard the door open and close quickly and a whoosh came by me. I saw Damon looking down at me through the mirror. I sighed sadly and put the mirror back on the desk.

"Drink my blood, it will heal you." Damon offered softly.

"No it won't." I countered. I asked Elena everything about vampire blood. It only heals things with cures. Cancer has no cure; therefore it will not heal me or any of my injuries.

"Of course it will. Don't be stupid and just take the blood." Damon said annoyed.

"It won't work." I told him again and walked towards the door. Damon appeared in front off me.

"Why won't it work then?" he asked me softly.

"It's none of your business, Damon." I told him coldly.

"The hell it's not." He said frustrated as he ran back to the desk. "You know all of my deepest secrets, so why won't you tell me yours?" he asked pained.

"Because it's insignificant to you." I said stonily.

"Of course it's significant to me, Charlotte. In case you haven't noticed I care about you. I care about you, okay?" he exclaimed. "And since I care about you, you owe me an explanation." He said angrily.

"Fine!" I shouted. "You want to know so badly, then you will know everything, Damon. I have cancer. I have chronic myelogenous leukemia. It's a blood cancer. And guess what I have three months before I die because my body stopped responding to treatments." I nearly shouted to him with tears running down my face. He had a look of shock, sadness, and hurt on his face. "That's my deep dark secret." I said coldly and turned to walk out of the study.

But before I could take one step, I cried out on pain and sank to my knees. My hands flew to the center of my pain. My left side just below my ribs.

 

Songs Used In This Chapter:

The Call by Regina Spektor (Chronicles of Narnia!)

If I Die Young by The Band Perry (Fits the story line almost perfectly)

There's A Place for Us by Carrie Underwood (Chronicles of Narnia! Again!)

Lovely by Sara Haze (Fits Charlotte and her mother)


	11. Stage One: Pain in Abdomen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie deals with the repercussions of telling Damon her biggest secret.

Previously on Darkness in the Sun:

After five minutes, Alaric still wasn't back, but my throat was feeling a lot better. I shakily stood up and grabbed the mirror on the desk. I gasped as I saw a large purple bruise that wrapped around my neck. I heard the door open and close quickly and a whoosh came by me. I saw Damon looking down at me through the mirror. I sighed sadly and put the mirror back on the desk.

"Drink my blood, it will heal you." Damon offered softly.

"No it won't." I countered. I asked Elena everything about vampire blood. It only heals things with cures. Cancer has no cure; therefore it will not heal me or any of my injuries.

"Of course it will. Don't be stupid and just take the blood." Damon said annoyed.

"It won't work." I told him again and walked towards the door. Damon appeared in front off me.

"Why won't it work then?" he asked me softly.

"It's none of your business, Damon." I told him coldly.

"The hell it's not." He said frustrated as he ran back to the desk. "You know all of my deepest secrets, so why won't you tell me yours?" he asked pained.

"Because it's insignificant to you." I said stonily.

"Of course it's significant to me, Charlotte. In case you haven't noticed I care about you. I care about you, okay?" he exclaimed. "And since I care about you, you owe me an explanation." He said angrily.

"Fine!" I shouted. "You want to know so badly, then you will know everything, Damon. I have cancer. I have chronic myelogenous leukemia. It's a blood cancer. And guess what I have three months before I die because my body stopped responding to treatments." I nearly shouted to him with tears running down my face. He had a look of shock, sadness, and hurt on his face. "That's my deep dark secret." I said coldly and turned to walk out of the study.

But before I could take one step, I cried out on pain and sank to my knees. My hands flew to the center of my pain. My left side just below my ribs.

 

Chapter 10

Charlotte's POV

 

It's not supposed to happen yet. I still have one more month of normalcy left.

"Charlotte! Charlotte! Talk to me, Charlotte!" Damon shouted out on concern. I gasped out in pain again.

"Get Jeremy." I told him. He looked unsure. "Now, Damon!" I exclaimed as another wave off pain hit me. He nodded and took off.

After about a minute Jeremy, Damon, and Alaric came running into the study.

"Charlotte!" Jeremy and Alaric exclaimed as they saw me. I looked at Jeremy as he kneeled next to me.

"Jer, its happening." I told him softly. His eyes widened.

"But-But, I-I thought you had another month?" he asked shakily.

"Vampire attacked me tonight." I whimpered out as another wave of pain hit me.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked frantically. Jeremy looked at me for approval. I nodded as the pain let up a bit.

"Char has cancer and only three months to live. Her body stopped responding to treatments three months ago and now something like the vampire choking her can decrease her time to live." Jeremy explained quickly. Alaric looked at me with wide eyes. I looked at him sadly.

"Charlotte…" he said sadly. Another wave of pain decided to hit me again. I closed my eyes in pain.

"Someone get me home, please." I whimpered out painfully. In a matter of seconds I found myself picked up and in someone's arms. I looked up and saw Damon looking down at me sadly. He sped to the car and laid me down in the passenger seat before speeding home without Alaric or Jeremy.

 

Once we got home, I found myself in my bed in a matter of seconds. The pain finally decreased.

"Do you need anything?" Damon asked concerned.

"Water and my medicine." I choked out.

"Where's your medicine?" he asked from the bathroom.

"Under the sink. Far right corner." I said at a normal voice knowing he would hear me.

After a second or two he came back into my room and set my things on the dresser before helping me sit up.

"Here." He said as he handed me one of my pills and the glass of water. I quickly took my pill.

"Thanks." I muttered as the pain slowly died down. He softly lowered me back down onto my pillows.

"Does Elena, Bonnie, or Caroline know?" he asked me.

"No, only Jeremy, Mrs. Lockwood, and now you and Alaric." I said as I closed my eyes.

"When were you planning on telling us?" he asked his voice full of hurt.

"I wasn't planning on it. My own parents and brother treated me like crap because of this. Why am I going to tell the only people I have left and have them do the same, Damon?" I told him as I opened my eyes.

"We wouldn't have done that to you." He exclaimed angrily and got up off of my bed. "Dammit Charlotte! You make me care for you, and then you tell me you're dying!" he exclaimed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, well this isn't any easier for me either, Damon." I muttered looking down at my pillow.

"Jeremy and Alaric are here." He said monotonously and ran out of the room. I sighed sadly as they opened my door.

"Charlotte." Jeremy said in relief as he walked over to the side of my bed. Alaric followed wordlessly.

"Hey Jer, Ric." I said greeting them smiling.

"How are you feeling?" Jeremy asked concerned.

"Much better. Pain is minimal." I assured him.

"That vampire choking you really speed it up this much?" Jeremy asked as he kneel down.

"Yeah, he cut off my oxygen supply and oxygen and blood go hand and hand." I explained as simple as I could.

"So how long left?" Jeremy asked softly.

"As long as I don't get hurt anymore, get plenty of rest, and keep taking my medicine, I should be fine for the next month and then the two months after that will be hell. I might experience more symptoms though, within the next month, but not as bad as it was tonight." I explained to him. He nodded. I looked over to Alaric and saw him looking down at the floor.

"Jer," I whispered and gestured to the door. He nodded and kissed forehead. He got up and walked out the room.

"Alaric." I whispered sadly.

"Why didn't you tell, Char? We're best friends. I tell you everything." He looked up and asked his voice full of hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Ric. I didn't tell anyone. Except for Jeremy and I told him long before I met you. Please don't treat me any different now that you know." I pleaded with him feeling my eyes fill with water. "Please, Ric."

He got up off of the chair and quickly came over to my bed kneeling like Jeremy did. "Charlotte, you're still my best friend, okay?" I nodded. "Nothing will ever change that. I'm just trying to process all of this, alright?" he assured me. I nodded as the tears started to pour out of my eyes.

"I don't want to die anymore, Ric. I was okay with dying before I came back to Mystic Falls, but now… now I don't want to die anymore." I said sobbing. He quickly got up of the floor and got on the bed next to me.

"We'll find something, Charlotte. We'll have Bonnie find something. I won't let you go that easy." He said as he pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back soothingly. I buried my face into his neck and cried endlessly until I eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.

 

Damon's POV (Finally!)

"Jeremy and Alaric are here." I said monotonously and ran out the door. I sped out the door and to Elena's house, not even bothering to take my car.

I got there in minutes and burst in the house not even bothering knocking. I found Stefan and Elena in the kitchen.

"Damon, do you know where Charlotte went? We were supposed to meet here after the party?" Elena asked concerned.

"She's at the boarding house with Alaric and Jeremy." I monotonously as I opened the liquor cabinet and poured myself a cup of bourbon.

"Why is she at the boarding house with Jeremy and Alaric?" Elena asked me worried. I downed my glass before answering.

"Vampire attacked her tonight. Nearly choked her to death." I told her before downing another glass.

"What?" she exclaimed. "Is she alright?"

"From the vampire attack. Yeah. From her deep dark secret. Not a chance." I said frustrated.

"What deep dark secret?" Elena asked skeptically. Sorry, Charlotte.

"The bitch has cancer and only three months to live, Elena. She has cancer and only three months to live and she made me care for her. " I nearly shouted at her as I crushed the glass in my hand.

"What?" Elena asked me shakily. "N-no Charlotte would have told me about this." Elena denied.

"Actually, she told me she wasn't planning on telling anyone. But guess what, she told your brother and Carol Lockwood." I said angrily as I threw away the glass shards.

"Damon, maybe this wasn't the best way to tell Elena." Stefan reasoned with me. I chuckled darkly.

"So you think the best way for everyone to find out is when she is lying on her deathbed." I exclaimed angrily. "She has been living with us for months, Stefan. Months! How the hell did I not figure this out?" I shouted at him.

"I have to go and see Charlotte." Elena said disoriented.

"No. Leave her alone for tonight. She's already been in a lot of pain tonight." I said softly as I remembered her falling to the ground on pain earlier tonight.

"Why are you angry about this, Damon? She's only some stupid human. You told me this yourself." Stefan asked me knowingly.

"She's my friend, Stefan. I don't know what you're insinuating, but she's my friend and nothing more." I hissed out.

"You love her." Elena said her voice full of pity. I froze at what she said. "You fell for her, Damon." She added softly.

"I. Don't. Love. Her." I said emphasizing each word through clenched teeth.

"Yes, you do, Damon. And if you don't tell her before something even worse happen to her, you will regret it." Stefan told me in his annoyed 'I-know-everything' voice. "Come on, Elena. Let's go call Bonnie and Caroline and see if we can come up with something to save Charlotte." Stefan coaxed her upstairs. She nodded numbly and walked with him.

I ran home at a slower speed just thinking about what Elena said to me.

 

-I don't love her. We are barely friends.

 

-Then why the hell did I almost kiss her tonight and growl at Ric when he interrupted us.

 

-Because I got caught up in the moment. That's all it was.

 

-That's a lie and you know it. I sighed conflicted as I got walked into the house. I noticed that Gilbert's car was missing. He must have went home. I ran up to Charlotte's room, hoping that she's okay.

I opened her door and walked into her room to see her asleep on Ric and Ric rubbing her back half-asleep himself.

"Go home, Ric. I'll look after her tonight." I told him quietly, but I kept my eyes on her tear stained face.

"Are you sure?" he asked sleepily.

"Yeah, go ahead, but you might want to brace yourself for tomorrow." I told him as he got up off of the bed while slipping a pillow under Charlotte's head.

"What did you do Damon?" he asked knowingly.

"I might have ran to Elena's house and told her and Stefan and as we speak they are telling Witchy, Barbie Vamp, and Wolf Boy." I admitted sheepishly.

He chuckled humorlessly. "She's going to kill you." He muttered as he walked out.

"Don't I know it." I muttered to myself as I got comfortable on the chair.


	12. Telling The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie finally explains to everyone what is going on.

Chapter 11

Charlotte's POV

 

I woke up the next morning with a bit of pain in my side, but it was bearable. I looked around my room and saw Damon asleep on my chair. I quickly and quietly got up out of my bed. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked down. I was still in my dress. I tiptoed over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans. Then I opened my closet grabbed one of my blouses and a pair of gray flats. I quickly tiptoed to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Once I did my hair and makeup and took my medicine, I walked out of the bathroom to come face to face with Damon's chest. I covered my mouth to stifle a scream.

"Are you alright? You aren't in any pain?" he looked down asking softly.

"I woke up with a bit of pain, but I took my medicine and I'm fine now." I answered as I walked around him and grabbed my cell phone.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Damon." I said slightly annoyed as I opened my door and started to walk down the stairs.

I got into the kitchen when my cell phone rang. It was Elena.

"Why is Elena calling me this early?" I asked out loud.

"Don't answer it." Damon said nonchalantly. I shook my head at him and answered it anyway.

"Good morning, Lena." I greeted smiling.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena squeaked out hurt.

"Um… tell you what?" I said nervously.

"That you are dying, Char." She said as she started sobbing. I gasped.

"Who told you?" I whispered sadly.

"Damon came over last night and told us." she sobbed out.

"Us?" I exclaimed speechless. "Who's us?"

"Me and Stefan. And then Stefan called Bonnie, Caroline, and Tyler." She sniffled.

"He didn't." I whimpered.

"Char, we need to talk about this. You owe us an explanation." Elena said sternly.

"I have to go." I said and hung up. I exhaled loudly.

"Why?" I asked him hurt.

"They deserved to know." He said determined.

"You have got to be kidding me, Damon." I exclaimed. "I tell you something big and then you run off and tell everybody."

"Well were you ever going to tell them?" he asked.

"Yes…Maybe…Possibly." I said confused. Damon gave me a knowing look. "Just because I haven't told them yet, doesn't give you the right to go and shout it to the world."

"I was wrong." He said looking at me sadly.

"I'm going over to Alaric's before Elena gets here and starts questioning me." I said and ran out of the house to my car.

 

"Ric! Open the door! Alaric!" I yelled as I pounded on his apartment door.

"Why are you here at seven a.m., Charlotte? And shouldn't you be in bed resting." He scolded as he opened his door. I shot right in.

"My idiotic roommate went and told Elena and Stefan that I have cancer last night and they told Bonnie, who told Caroline, who probably blabbed it to the entire state by now." I exclaimed as I paced around his apartment.

"I know." He said annoyed.

"You knew?" I asked hurt.

"Damon told me yesterday before I left to come home. He did something that he thought was necessary at the time, Char." Alaric reasoned with me.

"Alaric Saltzman, you better not be taking his side on this! You're my best friend." I whined.

"Charlotte, I'm not taking sides. Now sit down and calm down before you pass out." He ordered. I nodded and took a deep breath as I sat on his couch.

"I'm good, but he's still an idiot." I said calmly.

"Well, that was a given." He said with a small smile. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"I'm not mad that he told them. He had every right to tell them since I didn't. I'm mad because he didn't even give me a chance to explain anything. I wake up this morning to Elena sobbing in my ear that I'm dying. I barely even got to say good morning before she was on me." I explained frustrated.

"I get it. Damon probably gets it. But, I think you need to go and explain it to everyone else, so they get it." He advised me. I nodded in agreement.

"Go get dressed, we are going over to Elena's house." I told him as I took out my phone to text Elena.

 

I texted Elena, while Ric was getting dressed, to have everyone come over to her house so I could explain it all at once. Ric insisted on driving, so we got to the Gilbert's a little later than we normally would. Now we are all settled in their small living room and they are all staring at me with wide eyes, waiting for me to start. I took a deep breath and started.

"I have chronic myelogenous leukemia. It's cancer of the blood cells and I've had it since I was fifteen. My mother found out after I went to my monthly check-up and she packed us all up and moved us to the West Virginia/Virginia border where the best cancer doctor worked. I've had it twice in my life. The first time I had it was from the ages of 15 to 17. I had countless sessions of radiation, chemotherapy, and other possible treatments done. It was very, very painful and very, very hard, but I pushed through it." I started explaining. I closed my eyes for a second pushing down the memories. I felt Jeremy grabbed my hand. I exhaled loudly, opened my eyes, and began again.

"At the age of seventeen, I finally made it to remission. They told my family and me that the cancer was gone, but I still needed to come in for bi-weekly checkups. This worked for about five months. After the five months, I started experiencing all of my symptoms again. So my parents rushed me to the hospital and the doctors ran test after test on me. I was starting to feel very tired and faint and eventually I passed out. I don't remember what exactly happened or how it happened, but the doctors told me that I had died for twenty seconds before they were able to bring me back to life." I continued with tears running down my face. I looked around and saw Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline silently sobbing with each other and saw Stefan and Tyler with their heads in their hands. I wiped the tears off my face and took several deep breaths.

"You don't have to continue, Char." Jeremy told me quietly. I shook my head vigorously.

"No, I have to tell everything." I said determined. "The doctors immediately started me on every kind of medicine in the book for cancer patients. And for the second time in my life I experienced the harsh, painful treatments. I told myself that I never want to go through that pain again. So, once my parents left my room I called my doctors over and I signed a DNR." The girls gasped. "Yeah, not an easy decision for me to make, but I was threw with that torturous amount of pain. Next, I got back on my regular schedule of chemotherapy, radiology, and the various other treatments until very recently actually." I laughed humorlessly. "When I turned twenty I dropped out of college. The stress, the treatments, the homework, everything was finally getting to me. So I dropped out. My parents hated this decision with a passion. They tried to get me to go back and lead a normal life, but it just wasn't possible anymore." I said sniffling.

"And now brings us to a couple days before I come back to Mystic Falls. I had already been arguing with my parents nonstop and then I got ready to drive to my treatment for the week and my mother pulls me into the kitchen to talk with her and my father. They told me that I needed to move out and start paying for my own treatments because I was ruining their image. So, I packed up my stuff and went to the bank to transfer all of my money into a separate account. Then I went to my appointment and my doctor comes in and says that my body has stopped responding to treatments. I didn't understand how that was possible considering the week before he told me that I was fine, but I took the news anyway and drove here thinking that if I was going to die, I wanted to die surrounded by the people I love and the people who love me." I finished with silent sobs racking my body. I closed my eyes and muffled my sobs with my hands. Jeremy pulled me into his lap, comforting me. I buried my face in his chest and sobbed along with the majority of my friends.

"I'm going to find something, Char. I'll ask the witches on the other side; I'll search through all of the Grimwores that I have. I'm going to do everything possible." Bonnie said suddenly with tears still running down her faces. I took my face out of Jeremy's chest and smiled sadly.

"Thank you, Bonnie." I said with a watery smile.

 

After we finished everything, I took Alaric back to his apartment and then drove back to the boarding house. I walked into the house and sighed as if a big weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I put my cell phone and my keys on the table next to the door and walked into the kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Damon come into the kitchen from the living room. I didn't acknowledge him and started making myself a cup of jasmine tea. I felt his eyes on me, but I still didn't acknowledge him.

"I was wrong." He said softly. I laughed humorlessly.

"Who are you and what have you done with Damon Salvatore? Because the Damon Salvatore that I know doesn't admit that he is wrong." I said bitterly.

"You know this whole pretending that you don't like me is getting a little silly." He said sarcastically.

"And you pretending that you actually care about me is getting a little ridiculous, don't you think?" I said angrily while grabbing my tea and storming out of the kitchen.

"Come on, Charlotte. I'm trying to be nice here." He said annoyed as he followed me to my room.

"Yeah well you're not doing a very good job, are you Damon?" I said annoyed that followed me into my room. He stayed silent. "Yeah, I'll take that as a no."

"What's it going to take to make you see that I care?" he asked me painfully.

"Show me, Damon. That always works. Now, I've had a very bad morning and I'm trying so hard not to take it out on you." I said exasperated hoping that gets the hint to leave. He nodded and left. I sighed depressed. My life sucks.

 

I took a nap for a few hours and woke up to the sound of Alaric and Damon fighting from downstairs. I groaned and got up. I fixed my hair and went downstairs to see what was going on. I walked into the study with glaring at them.

"You do know there was a sleeping human upstairs that can hear all of your yelling, right?" I said annoyed as I sat down on one of the chairs.

"Sorry, Char." Alaric said sheepishly.

"Thanks, but I'm up now, so what's going on?" I asked.

"It's nothing that you need to be worried about." Damon said monotonously as he sat down on the chair across from me.

"I'm pretty sure I do need to worry about it considering I live in this house for the time being. And from everything that I've heard from Elena, the person that doesn't know anything ends up being the one getting killed in the end." I said even more annoyed.

"There's a coven of vampires that are coming after you." Alaric said bluntly.

"Well there's a change." I said smirking. Alaric chuckled humorlessly. "They aren't coming after the resident doppelganger, but the new girl instead."

"Yeah, well since I killed the one from the party because he was about to eat you, they want revenge." Alaric explained.

"And revenge means killing me." I put together. He nodded. "Sounds like fun. What are we going to do about it?" I asked.

"You aren't doing anything, Charlotte." Damon said coldly.

"I most certainly am. It's me that they want." I said narrowing my eyes at Damon.

"We haven't figured out anything, Charlotte. But we will keep you in the loop." Alaric assured me. I nodded in thanks.

"I better go. I have some research to look through." Alaric said and got up. "Later." He said.

"Later." I said back.

"I don't want you in any part of this, Charlotte." Damon said with a clenched jaw.

I sighed. "Yeah, well whether we all like it or not, I'm in it." I said shrugging as I got up to go in my room. I smiled softly as I walked up to my room. At least he's making an effort.


	13. Stage Two: Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie's symptoms start showing up faster and Damon takes care of her.

Chapter 12

Charlotte's POV

 

For the last few days Damon, Alaric, and Stefan have been planning out what to do about the vampire situation. And every time they had a meeting they banished me to my room. By the third meeting I was beyond annoyed at these meetings.

I woke up that morning feeling really hot and groggy and it was raining outside. I knew that I had a fever, but I got up and got dressed anyway. I walked downstairs and tried to play it off as best as I could, which was easy because I've had several fevers before.

"Good morning, annoying house guest." Damon said cheerfully as I walked into the kitchen.

"Hey." I said not really in the mood to play along with him.

"Are you alright, Charlotte? You look a little red." Damon asked crinkling his eyebrows.

"I'm fine." I said quickly.

"Are you sure? You look like you have a fever?" he asked concerned. My eyes widened at the word fever. He noticed narrowed his eyes.

"You have a fever and you're out of bed." He hissed.

"Yes, I'm bored in that stupid room. If you stick me in there again I will explode." I hissed back. Damon growled and picked me up bridal style.

"Put me down, Damon. I'm fine." I hissed out annoyed. He didn't listen and sped up to his room. He opened the door and tossed me on his bed.

"Stay." He ordered. I rolled my eyes and stayed nonetheless, knowing full well that if I ran he would catch me. I groaned when I started to feel my muscles ache. Damn, Damon always has to be right.

Damon came back with his laptop, one of my tank tops, and a pair of my sleep shorts.

"Change." He ordered as he tossed me the clothes and walked out of the room. I huffed loudly at him ordering me, but changed anyway.

Once I finished I tossed my jeans and my blouse to the floor on the side of the bed, not really caring where they went. I plopped back down on the back as Damon opened the door again.

"Anything else?" I asked sarcastically.

"Scoot over." He ordered.

"Wow, two words." I mumbled sarcastically as I lay down on the left side of his bed. He sat down next to me on the right side and opened his computer. I slowly started to close my eyes; feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

 

I woke up about an hour later feeling hot and sticky. I groaned when I felt my forehead. I was sweating. Stupid fever!

"I looked online and it said that you will start sweating and shivering." Damon said softly.

"I know. With cancer patients, the sweating comes first, then the shivering." I explained. I felt Damon get off of the bed and then I felt a cool rag on my forehead. I sighed in relief.

"Better?" Damon asked.

"Much, thanks." I said and closed my eyes again, eventually falling asleep again.

The next time I woke up I was shivering. I felt a sheet on me. I opened my eyes and searched for a blanket to put on myself.

"Sorry, Charlotte. No blanket, only sheets." Damon said next to me, knowing exactly what I was looking for. I groaned and curled up into a ball to keep warm.

"Do you have any water?" I asked feeling my throat was dry.

"Yeah." Damon said and reached to the table next to him and grabbed the cup. He held the cup for me as I drank from the straw he put in there.

"Thanks." I muttered as I lay back down on my side and curled into a ball again.

 

The next time I woke up I was sweating again. I groaned and kicked the sheet off of me.

"Sweating again?" he asked worried. I nodded and in an instant I felt a cool rag on my forehead again.

"The website said that you can take a lukewarm sponge bath for ten minutes. You want to try it?" he asked hesitantly. I nodded and felt my self being picked up bridal style and taken to the bathroom across his room. He sat me on the counter as he ran the bath water. Once it was ready, Damon picked me up off of the counter and set me on my feet next to the bathtub.

"I'll be back in-" he started to say, but I cut him off by taking off my tank top and shorts, leaving me in my bra and underwear. I really didn't feel like waiting and I stepped into the tub and sat down. I sighed in relief as the water started to cool me down.

"Or we could do that." He said amused as he grabbed a sponge and started patting down my face with the water.

After 10 minutes passed he grabbed a giant white towel and wrapped it around me as I got out of the tub. I dried off and then slipped my tank top and shorts back on. Damon carried me back to the bed and laid me down. I closed my eyes, intending to go back to sleep, but Damon came back in with the thermometer. I groaned.

"Open." He ordered softly. I huffed and opened my mouth. He put it in and we waited for it to beep. Finally, after a few minutes it beeped and Damon took it out of my mouth. He sighed.

"What? Did it go up?" I asked tired.

"Even better. It broke." He said with a small smile.

"Thank god." I mumbled as I closed my eyes again, falling asleep.

 

The final time that I woke up, it was early in the morning, but the rain had stopped. Damon was asleep next to me, so I quietly crawled out of bed and tiptoed to my room to change into warmer clothes. I threw on my WVU hoodie and a pair of Victoria Secret PINK sweats and walked down to the kitchen to make a snack because I was starving. I ended up making a simple turkey and mayo sandwich. I grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and hopped up on the counter. I started eating when I heard footsteps. Damon must be up.

"Charlotte, it's five in the morning, what are you doing?" Damon asked as he entered the kitchen. Wow, it's that late. Might as well stay up.

"Eating." I said between bites.

"And why are you eating at five in the morning?" he asked sarcastically.

"Because I was hungry." I answered simply.

"And you couldn't have waited like four more hours?" he inquired.

"Nope. I didn't eat anything yesterday and I woke up cold and hungry, so I changed clothes and made a sandwich." I explained as I finished off my sandwich and took a swig of water.

"Right because that's totally normal." He said sarcastically.

"It is to me." I said to him smiling brightly.

"Right, what was I thinking." He asked smirked.

"I have no idea, but I'm going to get dressed for the day since I'm wide awake." I said and walked back up the stairs to my room.

 

I got dressed as slow as I could. I took a long shower and then blow-dried my hair as slow as I possibly could. That took up an hour and it was now 6:15am. I threw on a black sequin tank and a pair of white skinny jeans. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was only 6:30. I huffed and grabbed my black nail polish. I painted my toenails and waited for them to dry. Once they were finished it was already 7am. I smiled and walked into my bathroom. I brushed out my hair and parted it to the side, leaving my side bangs to fall in my face and slipped on a plain white headband. I did my makeup and brushed my teeth. I clipped on my locket and sprayed my Wonderstruck perfume. I looked at the clock and saw that it was already 7:30. I smiled satisfied and slipped on my pair of black Jimmy Choo ankle boots that I bought when Caroline and I went shopping. Once I finished I grabbed my black purse and walked downstairs.

"What took so long?" Damon asked s he sipped his coffee in the kitchen.

"I didn't want to sit down here bored so I went all out." I said as I poured myself a travel cup of coffee. I set it down and grabbed my keys out of my purse.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked curiously.

"Bookstore, movie store, and grocery store." I answered as I grabbed my stuff.

"Sounds like fun." He said as he put his mug in the sink and walked towards the door. I raised an eyebrow at his retreating figure. He turned and smirked. "Well, aren't you coming?" he asked innocently. I shook my head at him and tossed my keys at him.

"You go, you drive." I said smirked as I walked out the door towards my car.

 

Once Damon and I got downtown and parked it all of the shops were open. We went to the movie store first. I bought a bunch of DVD's for when I become bedridden in less than a month. Damon bought a couple of vampire movies, to which I just shook my head at him while he smirked. Then we went to the bookstore. I bought a lot of classic books and magazines to read when I get bored with the movies. Damon bought a couple of vampire books too.

"I'm sensing a theme." I told him as we walked out of the bookstore.

"No, really." He exclaimed sarcastically.

"There's no need to watch movies and read books about vampires considering live with the real thing." I said quietly so only he could here.

"I just bought them for the irony of the situation." He said smirked.

"You would." I said shaking my head amused.

"Oh so I'm that predictable, am I?" He teased.

"Of course. The only thing that confuses me is why you are hanging out with a sick human. Last I heard vampires tend to stick to other supernatural beings." I joked.

"You're not the worst company in the world, Charlotte. For a human anyway." Damon said seriously with humor in his eyes. I smirked.

"And you're not the worst company in the world either, Damon, considering you're a vampire that wants to suck my blood and all." I said with a serious face, but with humor underlying in my voice.

"Not really. You're blood smells nasty." He said as he scrunched his nose. I laughed.

"What?" He asked amused.

"That's a first. Nobody has ever told me that my blood smells nasty before." I said smiling as I steered him towards The Grill.

"What are we going here for?" He complained.

"I need to eat. I have to eat every so often to keep up my energy levels." I told him seriously as we walked in.

"Oh." He said simply with a look on his face.

"Yeah, us sick people are always so complicated." I said jokingly as we walked into the Grill.

He scoffed. "I don't think that you being sick has anything to do with you beong complicated, Charlotte." He smirked.

"That's funny coming from you, Damon." I said as I sat down at a booth.

"Yeah, its hilarious." He said sarcastically.

 

Once Damon and I finished lunch, we went to the grocery store, where I bought all of my comfort foods. I'll end up losing my appetite for most things, but I bought them anyway. Once we finished at the grocery store, Damon drove us home.

"Alright, I'm going to put my things in my room and then I'm watching Finding Nemo." I said as I grabbed my keys out of his hand and put them in my purse.

I ran upstairs and dropped my bags on my bed and grabbed the Finding Nemo DVD. I walked into the living room to find Damon sitting in the middle of the couch with a bowl of popcorn and two drinks on the end table.

"Movie time." He said sarcastically.

"You know, nobody is forcing you to watch this with me." I said as I lay on the couch, my feet barely missing his left arm.

"No, but if I didn't watch this with you, I would here you complain." He explained smirking. "'Come on, Damon. It's just a silly movie, Damon.'" He added as he falsely mimicked my voice.

"My voice doesn't sound like that." I said glaring at him as I played the movie.

"Yeah, maybe not to your ears, but my delicate ears can't always handle that much squeaking at one time." He teased.

"You're a vampire. You'll live." I teased him back. He scowled playfully knowing that I got him there.

We sat in silence munching on popcorn until we got up to my favorite scene. The shark told the club that fish are friends, not food. After he said that I turned to Damon smiling jokingly.

"Come on Damon. Say it with me. Humans are friends, not food." I teased him with a serious look on my face.

"Humans are food, not friends." He said smirking.

"Whatever, I think you should admit that you're a big softy, that this whole cynical thing is just an act so you can seem wounded and mysterious and sexy…" I started teasing him, but stopped when I said sexy. I blushed a bit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what was that last one?" he smirked, knowing what I said.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Did you say sexy?" he asked teasing me.

"What?" I exclaimed nervously.

"You think I'm sexy?" he smirked leaning closer to me.

"No." I denied knowing full well that I do.

"It's okay if you do." He said with that stupid smirk on his face.

"I don't!" I exclaimed nervously and shot up from the couch. "I'm going to get more popcorn." I exclaimed as I grabbed the bowl from the couch and walked into the kitchen. I heard Damon chuckling as I walked away.

Once I got to the kitchen I looked down into the bowl and saw that it was only half-empty. I groaned softly so Damon couldn't hear. Great! Now he knows I think he's sexy! Could this get any more embarrassing?


	14. Caroline's Birthday Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Caroline's birthday and Charlie's the party planner so you know it's going to be a party!

Chapter 13

Charlotte's POV

 

"What's taking so long?" Damon complained from the other side of the door.

"I'm a girl. I need time to get ready." I explained as I opened my door. "What do you think happens? We snap our fingers and presto, we're finished." I asked sarcastically. I looked up at his face and saw him staring at me. I rolled my eyes. Guys will be guys, vampire or not. I huffed and walked past him. "When you're done gawking at me, I'm ready to go." I said smirking as I waked down the stairs.

"Damon Salvatore does not gawk, thank you very much." He said as he popped up in front of me.

"Right, so what did you call that back there then?" I asked him smirking.

"I call it appreciating a work of art." He said wiggling his eyebrows. My eyes widened a bit.

"Okay, time to go or we will be late for Caroline's party." I said quickly as I walked to the front door.

 

Once we got to Tyler's mansion, Damon went to the bar and I went into the kitchen to make the final preparations before the party started.

Once I made sure the caterers were ready, I walked into the parlor and make sure that the DJ was set up and ready to go, and made sure that my band was set up for the few songs that I was going to sing tonight. Once I did that I walked over to the bar, where Damon was sitting with a glass of bourbon in his hand while watching me walk, to make sure the bartender was ready to go. Once I confirmed that he was ready to go I walked over to Damon and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

"Keep your roaming eyes to yourself, Salvatore. Nobody likes a perverted vampire." I whispered in a low voice just to tease him. I saw him stiffen and looked at his neck and saw goose bumps rising. I smirked as the doorbell rang. I wiped the smirk off my face and smiled brightly as I walked to open the door and get the party started.

The party was in full swing by eight o'clock. The DJ was blaring music, the caterers were serving food all around, the bartender was making drinks like crazy (only for anyone who was 21 or older), and Caroline had a mountain of presents that are sitting in Tyler's bedroom ready for her to open. I looked at Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline and saw them all laughing and having a good time. I smiled softly to myself and walked over to Tyler.

"It's time." I mouthed to him once I got his attention. He nodded excited and nervously. I made my way over to the DJ and had him play the song. Once he was about to end the music and give the small speech, I made my way to the doors that led to the front hallway.

"Now I would like the birthday girl to meet her boyfriend, Tyler, in the center of the dance floor. Our hostess, Charlotte and Tyler have a something that they want to give you." The DJ shouted through the mic. I smiled softly and gave Car a thumbs-up as she walked towards Tyler with a confused look on her face. "Happy Birthday Caroline. From Charlotte and Tyler." The DJ added as he started the song. Kiss the Girl by Colbie Caillat started coming out of the speaking as she reached Tyler. I smiled brightly as a look of recognition passed over her face. She put her hands in Tyler's shyly and they started dancing slowly to the song. As the couples started breaking off and dancing slowly to the song, I quietly slipped out of the room and into hallway.

I started walking up the stairs, when Damon popped up in front of me. I gasped loudly and clutched the railing and closing my eyes. I started taking deep breaths because Damon popping up in front of me now at the Lockwood's mansion reminded me of the vampire that choked me at the Founders Party.

"What's wrong, Charlotte?" he asked concerned as he put his hand over mine on the railing. I felt something tingle when he put his hand on mine. I quickly ripped my hand from the railing and opened my eyes.

"You just scared me. The last time a vampire popped up in front of me, I almost choked to death." I said waving off his concern and started walking up to Tyler's room again.

"And that's why I'm here. I'll be your bodyguard." He said as he met me at the top of the stairs.

"Kind of ironic don't you think. I have a vampire guarding me from another vampire." I said sarcastically. "And not to mention that both are equally capable of killing me in all the same ways." I added.

"Of course I could kill you, but Elena, Vampire Barbie, and Witchy wouldn't be too happy with me, if I did." He said smirking as we came up to Tyler's bedroom door. My heart dropped a bit and I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. Of course he won't kill you because of Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie. Not because he sees you as a friend or as anything more than a friend…

"Right, of course." I said trying to not let my voice betray me. "I-uh- have to change clothes for my performance, so-I-um… I'll see you later. Can you send Alaric up to walk me back down?" I added awkwardly and opened the door and shut it before he could get an answer out.

 

Once on the other side of the door, I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. Get a hold of yourself, Charlotte! You are a cancer patient with less than two and a half months to live and he is an immortal blood-sucking supernatural vampire. A friendship, let alone, a relationship wouldn't work. And sense when did you start liking Damon Salvatore in a romantic way?

It's absolutely ludicrous. I thought as I opened my eyes and pushed myself off of the door to get changed.

Once I got dressed in a pair of ripped up white skinny jeans, a strapless flowy gray blouse, a black leather jacket, and my black converse I opened Tyler's bedroom door and peeked my head out to see if I could find Alaric. Sure enough he rounded the corner as I stepped out of the room.

"Wow, very rocker of you." He commented as he saw me.

"I try." I said smirking.

"So, any particular reason that Damon growled at me to come and walk you back downstairs and then downed two glass of bourbon in ten seconds?" Alaric asked as we slowly walked downstairs.

"No, nothing in particularly that stands out in my brain." I told him nonchalantly.

"Charlotte." He said sternly.

"What?" I exclaimed. "I didn't say anything to the reckless vampire that can impressively down two glasses of bourbon in ten seconds you say?" I asked him in an attempt to change the subject.

"Charlotte, what did you say?" he asked knowingly.

"Now why is it you always point the finger at your dying best friend instead of your reckless ex-best friend?" I exclaimed.

"Because I know you, Charlotte." He said as we came to the door that led to the stage.

"And now we welcome our hostess for the evening, Ms. Charlotte Buchanan, to the stage for another present for the birthday girl." The DJ announced.

"Sorry, Ric, that's my cue. We'll talk later, yeah?" I said and opened the door and ran onto the stage.

"Hello, hello, hello party goers." I greeted in the microphone. The crowd cheered. "Now we all know that we are here to celebrate Caroline's 19th birthday party, Tyler and I have put together another surprise for you Care. Well, actually three, but they all fall in the same category. So, Tyler, do your thing and dance with your girlfriend while I sing her favorite songs." I said smiling brightly at them.

"I'm on it, Charlotte." He said loudly and grabbed Caroline's hands and led her to the middle of the dance floor.

My first song was What If by Colbie Caillat. Caroline absolutely loved this song since we saw Letters to Juliet a couple weeks ago. I sang it with the microphone attached to the stand so I didn't use up a lot of energy. I was really going to need it for the last song.

After I finished that song, I sang Mine by Taylor Swift, to which Caroline blushed when the melody blasted through the speakers. After I finished this song, the band and I took a quick two-minute water break.

"And now for our final song of the evening." I said dramatically. "Caroline and party guests get ready to dance like no one is watching." I added sending a wink to Caroline, to which she winked back.

The band started playing Obsession by Sky Ferreira. I turned my back to the crowd as the song started. The bassist's and the drummer started the background vocals.

 

Woah  
Woah

I turned back to the crowd and started singing and dancing on stage.

Listen up I'm gonna' tell you bit about myself  
I got a situation, ain't concerning nobody else  
Just you and what you can do for me  
(Ooh)

I had the life of ordinary, I spat it out  
Now my condition's kind of scary, I need you now  
Not love what I need is something else

So here's my confession  
This time, this time,  
Don't just want you to love me  
I want to be your obsession  
This time, this time,  
Want my name on the Marquee

 

My girl background singers started singing with me as I walked off stage and started dancing with Caroline.

 

I want you (To want me)  
I want you (To need me)  
I want you  
To hear my confession

Oh, I want to be your Obsession

(Whoa)

I'll fixate you, till you never let me go  
So I can feed your addiction in the stereo,  
I could be, just your type of high  
(I can give what you like)

Your talkin' bout' the narcissism that's in Hollywood,  
I'm lovin' myself, but what I need's for you to feel good (let go)  
Let the music just take control

So here's my confession  
This time, this time  
Don't just want you to love me  
I want to be your obsession  
This time, this time  
Want my name on the Marquee (Whoa)

I want you (To want me)  
I want you (To need me)  
I want you  
To hear my confession

I want to be your Obsession  
I want to be your Obsession

Whoa, Hey  
Whoa, Hey  
Whoa, Hey

Ain't nothing wrong with OCD  
Long as it's for me, long as it's for me  
Ain't nothing wrong with OCD  
Long as it's for me, long as it's for me

Here's my confession  
This time, this time  
Don't just want you to love me  
I want to be your obsession  
This time, this time  
Want my name on the Marquee (Whoa)

I want you (To want me)  
I want you (To need me)  
I want you  
To hear my confession

I want to be your Obsession  
I want to be your Obsession  
I want to be your Obsession  
Oooh

 

At the end of the song I was back on stage and smiling, but I was completely out of breath. I smiled and bowed with the band as everyone clapped. As the DJ started playing songs again I slowly walked off stage, trying not to fall. Alaric was at my side in an instant with a water bottle.

"Thanks, Ric." I said as he helped me out of the room and into the foyer.

"Out of energy?" he asked.

"Yeah, do you think Caroline will hate me if I left early?" I asked him.

"I think that she would be the one pushing you out the door." He teased.

"You have a point. Can you get my bag from Tyler's room so I can go?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." He said and ran off towards the stairs.

As Ric left, Caroline, Elena, and Damon came into the foyer and saw me leaning against the wall.

"Char, are you alright?" Caroline asked worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just ran out of energy after that song. Ric is grabbing my stuff and I'm going to go home and watch a movie until I fall asleep or something." I explained.

"Okay, I just wanted to thank you for the songs that you sang." Caroline said smiling brightly. "I can't believe you still remember the Kiss the Girl promise." She added laughing.

"Surprisingly, I remember a lot of things, Car." I said chuckling as Alaric came back downstairs.

"Ready to go?" he asked holding up my bag.

"Yeah." I said as I pushed myself up off the wall and attempted to steady myself.

"I'll take her home, Ric. You can go back to your lady friend inside." Damon volunteered while smirking.

"Lady friend?" I asked amused while raising an eyebrow towards Ric.

"I'll tell you tomorrow." He said as he handed me my bag and nodded towards Damon.

"You better." I said and my suddenly I was in someone's arms and to the car in a matter of seconds.

"Warn a person next time." I grumbled as I buckled my seat and then rubbed my eyes. Damon just smirked while he backed the car out of the driveway.

 

Once we got back to the Boarding House, Damon carried me to my room and dropped me softly on my bed. I grumbled and buried my face in my pillow. I kicked my shoes off my feet and then onto the floor and took off my leather jacket and tossed it to the end of my bed.

"So what's this Kiss the Girl promise?" Damon asked from the other side of my room. I lifted my head from my pillow and saw that he has sitting on my armchair with his feet propped up on my nightstand and his arms behind his head.

I shook my head on rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. "When Caroline was ten and I was thirteen, our favorite movie was The Little Mermaid. And our favorite scene was the part when they were in the rowboat and the crab was trying to get them to kiss. So, after that scene ended, Caroline turns to me and says 'When you and I get old enough to have our first kiss while playing this song. And I told her that to make it official we have to pinky promise." I explained while smiling at the ceiling as the memory ended in my head.

"I'm guessing that you guys didn't keep the first kiss part of this promise?" he asked smirking.

"She didn't." I said vaguely.

"And you?" he asked.

"I haven't had my first kiss yet, so I couldn't tell you." I said shrugging my shoulders. I sighed exasperated. I didn't have to look at him to tell that he had a smirk on his face. "I'm going to get dressed and go to bed. It's been a long day." I said softly and go up out of bed.

I walked slowly over to my dresser, to make sure that I wasn't going to fall, and grabbed a gray tank top, a gray pair of sweats, and a WVU hoodie. I looked back and saw that Damon had a deep look on his face and was probably in deep thought. I walked into the bathroom to change. He'll be gone by the time I walk out.

Once I finished getting dressed, I walked back out to my room and saw that Damon had my iPod in his and standing by my iHome.

"What are you doing?" I asked him confused. He looked up and smirked, which just added to my confusion. He then plugged my iPod into my iHome and Kiss the Girl by Colbie Caillat started playing.

"Damon?" I asked really confused. Is he mocking me or something? He then appeared into front of me. I gasped softly as I saw the emotions in his eyes. Lust, doubt, and passion? What is he doing? He put his hands on my both sides of my neck and started to lean down. He stopped when his lips barely brushed mine. My eyes fluttered closed as I remembered the night of the Founders Party. He softly, but hesitantly pressed his lips to mine. After a couple of seconds I found myself kissing him back. I put my hands on his forearms as he continued to kiss me softly and rub his thumbs on my cheeks.

After a minute, he pulled away slowly and I opened my eyes. He slowly opened his eyes and whispered softly, "Now you kept your promise." My eyes widened as he vanished. I slowly put my hand to my lips and gasped softly as I came to a sudden realization. The song ended and one thought ran through my head.

I am in love with Damon Salvatore.


	15. Stage Three: Loss of Appetite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Damon awkwardly talk about the kiss and a certain Original Vampire makes an appearance.

Previously on Darkness in the Sun

Once I finished getting dressed, I walked back out to my room and saw that Damon had my iPod in his and standing by my iHome.

"What are you doing?" I asked him confused. He looked up and smirked, which just added to my confusion. He then plugged my iPod into my iHome and Kiss the Girl by Colbie Caillat started playing.

"Damon?" I asked really confused. Is he mocking me or something? He then appeared into front of me. I gasped softly as I saw the emotions in his eyes. Lust, doubt, and passion? What is he doing? He put his hands on my both sides of my neck and started to lean down. He stopped when his lips barely brushed mine. My eyes fluttered closed as I remembered the night of the Founders Party. He softly, but hesitantly pressed his lips to mine. After a couple of seconds I found myself kissing him back. I put my hands on his forearms as he continued to kiss me softly and rub his thumbs on my cheeks.

After a minute, he pulled away slowly and I opened my eyes. He slowly opened his eyes and whispered softly, "Now you kept your promise." My eyes widened as he vanished. I slowly put my hand to my lips and gasped softly as I came to a sudden realization. The song ended and one thought ran through my head.

I am in love with Damon Salvatore.

 

Chapter 14

Charlotte's POV

I couldn't sleep all night. One single thought ran through my head all night long and wouldn't go away. In love? With Damon Salvatore? How is it even possible to fall in love with someone you've only known for less than five months? Why fall in love right now of all times? He will never love you back, Charlotte.

I jumped as my door slammed open and Alaric, Stefan, and Damon ran in. Alaric and Stefan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good morning to you too." I grumbled as I sat up. "Any particular reason why you all decided to barge into my room at seven thirty in the morning?" I added with a raised eyebrow.

"Damon and Stefan found a vampire stalking the house outside. They got information out of him before they killed him." Alaric said bluntly.

"So, why was he outside of the house?" I asked curiously, but a bit nervous.

"Like I told you a couple weeks ago, there are vampires after you…" Alaric started.

"Spit it out, Ric." I groaned.

"They sent a "scout", so to speak, out to find out everything about you." Stefan explained.

"Wonderful." I stated sarcastically. I huffed and got out of bed to change for the day.

"What are you doing?" Alaric asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting dressed for the day. Just because I have a psychotic clan of vampires after me, doesn't mean that I'm going to sit in bed all day." I said rolling my eyes as I grabbed a pair of jean shorts and a shirt. I turned back towards the guys and raised an eyebrow. They didn't seem to get what I was saying.

"Can I get dressed in my room?" I asked sarcastically. Stefan and Alaric's eyes widened and they walked out the door. I turned to Damon and raised an eyebrow.

"About last night…" he started.

"What about last night?" I asked wanting to know where he was going with this.

"It was a mistake. We got caught up in the moment and…" he started listing off blunt reasons with no real emotion on his face.

My heart fell, but I did expect this. "Of course it was a mistake, Damon." I said with a fake smile. "Just forget about last night… it was a long night and we were both out of it." I added.

"Great." He agreed quickly and he vanished.

"Yeah, great." I said half-heartedly to myself. I wiped my fake smile off my face and frowned disappointed. Should have seen this coming, Charlotte. No use being disappointed about it. He felt sorry for you and he was a bit drunk, so he didn't know what he was doing. I sighed disappointed and grabbed a towel from my closet and went to go and take a shower.

I got dressed for a day in the house. I was wearing a strapless, flowy purple blouse, denim shorts, and black Jimmy Choo heels. I also did my makeup really quick, put on some Indian bangles, my locket, and a light brown fedora. I walked downstairs to go and get something to eat for breakfast and found Damon, Stefan, and Alaric in the kitchen eating ham and cheese omelets.

"Saved you your favorite breakfast Charlotte." Stefan said gesturing to the plate on the counter.

"Thanks, Stefan." I said smiling and grabbed the plate and everything I need and set them on the island.

I started cutting up my omelet, but as I kept looking at it, my appetite went away. I slowly set down my knife and fork as I realized another symptoms was starting to show up. I sighed softly and grabbed my plate and put it in the microwave.

"Thanks for breakfast Stefan, but I have seen to have lost my appetite." I said quietly and walked into the living room.

I was sitting in the living room on the couch for five minutes before Damon walked in. I didn't acknowledge that he was in the room. I just kept staring at the wall.

"What's wrong, Charlotte?" He asked confused and a bit worried.

"It's number three." I whispered so softly that only a vampire could hear.

"What's number three?" He asked even more confused.

"It's symptom number three." I said softly without looking at him.

"It will be okay, Charlotte. Bonnie will find something to save you." He said assuringly.

"I don't doubt that she will..., but I don't think she will find it in time." I said and looked at hin for the first time since he walked in the room.

"She will find something in time. I promise. Stefan and Alaric are going to his apartment to research the vampire clan. I'm going to go to Bonnie's house to help look for a solution, okay?" He explained. I nodded. "Will you be okay alone for a few hours?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm just going to catch up on my reading." I said quietly.

"Alright, if your sure." He said wearily.

"One hundred percent." I said with a fake cheerful smile.

 

After Damon, Stefan, and Alaric left. I got up off of the couch and grabbed a light blanket and a book from my room. On my way down stairs I heard a door shut. I froze midstep. My breathing became erratic and I could practically hear my heart beating out of my chest.

"Damon?" I called out hesitantly. I started walking down the stairs slowly and looking around. "Damon, this isn't funny. You know what happened at the Founders Party." I added nervously.

I saw something blur in front of my eyes. My eyes widened as I realized that there was vampire in the house. I felt in my pockets for my phone and froze when I realized that it was on the table by the couch. I was about to make a run for it, but walked into something hard. I looked up and gasped as I saw a vampire smirking at me. I felt my knees give out and my vision fade into the darkness.

 

Damon's POV

My phone beeped telling me that I bad a text. I dug in my pockets and found it. It was from Charlotte. It read: Might want to get home soon, Damon. -Elijah. My eyes narrowed and I growled lowly. God dammit, Charlotte. Can't leave you alone for 10 minutes.

"What's wrong now, Damon?" Witchy asked annoyed.

"Elijah has Charlotte." I said shortly and ran out the door.

I drove home in less than five minutes and burst through the door.

"Ah, Damon. So nice to see you again." Elijah said smirking.

"What the hell is Charlotte?" I growled lowly.

"Charlotte is her name. Suits her really." He said thoughtfully.

"Should have let your witch of a mother kill you along with your freak siblings." I said harshly and stalked into the living room.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard Charlotte's heart beating and saw her lying on the couch asleep.

"I simply can not believe what I am witnessing. Damon Salvatore cares for a sickly human girl. It's positively unbelievable." Elijah taunted as he walked into the living room.

"Yeah, so what." I said shrugging off his comment and walking over the table to pour a glass of bourbon.

"You love her." He stated. I froze as I got to the table. "I thought I would have never seen the day that Damon Salvatore would get over a Petrova Doppelganger and fall for sickly human girl."

"Well, that's where you're wrong Elijah. I may have gotten over Elena and Katherine, but I do not love Charlotte." I spat at him.

"Of course. I must have interpreted your bursting through the door with concern written all over your face and you shouting her name as something completely different." He said while smirking.

"What are you doing here anyways? I thought you wanted to 'rid yourself of your family and this town'." I said quoting him and trying to change the subject.

"Stefan called me. He and Elena are worried about Miss Charlotte here and they require my assistance." He said while glancing at Charlotte.

"Assistance with what?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"Why with saving Miss Charlotte's life, of course." He said smirking. I narrowed my eyes even more and huffed. Great…just great.

 

P.S.: For those of you who are confused over Elijah, this is how it all went down. (Spoilers for those of you who haven't seen the last episode.) Esther did come back to life and did link all of her children together, BUT Elena told Elijah and he switched his drinks and he had a witch bewitch (what a mouthful! :P) the paper and make his mother think that he is linked to his siblings. Then he killed her after she killed Klaus, Kol, Finn, and Rebekah. I know. It seems a little out of character for Elijah, but he already had his suspicions, so I went off of that. And now Elijah is back and helping the gang to save Charlotte. Hope this helps you understand better.


	16. Bonus: Valentine's Day Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU One-Shot for Valentine's Day featuring Charlotte and Damon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one-shot has nothing to do with the story currently. It has the same characters and everything; it's just a different story line. Charlotte is going to live and she and Damon are together. Just keep that in mind please. Anyway, enjoy!

Valentine's Day Special

Charlotte's POV

 

I woke up to someone peppering kisses all over my face. I smiled, but kept my eyes closed.

"Damon, I'm trying to sleep." I moaned.

"But it's Valentine's Day, why would anyone ever want to sleep in on a day like this." He said sarcastically. I opened my cobalt blue eyes and was met with his light blue eyes.

"I thought we agreed that we weren't doing Valentine's Day." I said smirking.

"Perhaps I changed my mind." He said and kissed my lips softly and slowly. We pulled back after a minute.

"Fine then. What are we doing today since you changed your mind?" I asked him.

"I can't tell you that. But I can tell you that Barbie Vamp is picking you up in ten minutes to help you get ready." He said and kissed my cheek. "So you might want to get out of bed." He added as he got up out of bed.

"To do what?" I asked as he grabbed a towel to take a shower.

"To keep you busy of course." He said smirking at me and walked into the bathroom. I huffed and got up. I dressed in a simple outfit of skinny jeans and a black tank top and a white cardigan. I slipped on my black flats and walked into the bathroom.

"So how long is Caroline keeping me today?" I asked Damon as I did my hair and makeup and he showered.

"Most of the day." He said over the running water.

"Is Tyler not doing anything for her for Valentine's Day?" I asked him curiously.

"Wolfy is having a surprise for Barbie this evening like me." He said.

"So you two threw us together for the day while you guys plan." I said rolling my eyes.

"Yup, it's a win-win." He said. I could practically hear the smirk on his face. "Barbie's here." He added.

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving." I said as I put my makeup back in its case. "Love you." I said and kissed his cheek as he stuck his head out of the shower.

"Love you too. Have fun with Barbie." He said smirking.

 

"Morning Care." I said as I got into her SUV.

"Morning Char." She said smiling. "Did Tyler tell you what he was doing for me for today?" she asked suddenly.

"No, Damon barely told me this morning that I was going out with you for the day." I said annoyed.

"Tyler gave me a list of things that I need to do today before six o'clock." She said.

"Weird." I commented. My cell phone vibrated, signaling I had a text.

 

Check your purse for your list. ;)

-D

 

"Damon just texted me that I too have a list." I said as I grabbed my purse from the floor and rummaged through it.

"What does yours say?" she asked when I found it.

"Task One: Go to the mall and pick out the best looking dress there. And don't forget the shoes to match. Task Two: Go to your favorite nail salon and get those dainty fingers and toes of yours painted. Task Three: Go to the hair salon and get your hair done any way you want. Task Four: Go to Barbie's house and get ready for tonight. Wolfy will pick you and Barbie up at 5:45pm and drop you off at the boarding house by 6:00pm. Inside the envelope is my credit card. Use it for everything you buy because if you don't I will find out. ;) Love you. –Damon." I read out loud. "I cannot believe him." I added afterward.

"I know Tyler gave me his credit card too and told me the same thing." Caroline said shaking her head as she parked at the mall.

"No, I can't believe he called my fingers and toes dainty. He knows I hate that word." I said as I scrunched up my nose. Caroline laughed. "What?" I asked confused.

"They are kind of dainty." She said smiling.

"Shut up and let's go." I grumbled smiling and got out of the car.

 

"What color should I get my dress in?" I asked Caroline as we sorted through the dress section of Charlotte Russe.

"Well its Valentine's Day. Try a red or a pink or maybe even a fushia. Its like red and pink together." She advised.

"I'm thinking fushia. Damon has seen me in a red dress and a pink dress. I want to surprise him with something different." I said.

"Good thinking. I think I'm going to go with dark pink dress. Tyler has seen me in a red dress too." Caroline agreed.

"Oh! Care look its perfect." I said as I grabbed a strapless fushia dress.

"Go try it on." She squealed.

I tried on the dress and looked at myself in the mirror. I sighed happily. I hope that Damon is going to be surprised.

 

After shopping, eating lunch, and get our hair and nails done, Caroline and I were exhausted. And we still had to get dressed.

We finished getting ready at 5:45 on the dot. Tyler rang the doorbell and we squealed excited.

"Caroline...you look beautiful." Tyler breathed out once I opened the door.

"Thank you, Tyler. You don't look so bad yourself." She said commenting on his tux.

"Sorry to ruin a perfectly beautiful moment here, but I would really appreciate getting home to my boyfriend right about now." I said breaking up their staring contest. Caroline blushed and grabbed our purses as Tyler ushered us out the door.

I was about to explode with nervousness as we pulled up to the boarding house. Tyler blurred over my door and helped me to the porch.

"Thank you, Tyler." I said smiling nervously.

"Have fun, Charlie." He said smiling widely and kissed my cheek.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I quietly layed my purse on the counter and shut the door. I looked down and saw a trial of rose petals leading to the living room.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the trial of rose petals lead through the living and the hallway to the back door. I smiled as I saw Damon through the sliding glass door. Once he turned and faced me, all of my nervousness disappeared.

"Good evening, Miss Buchanan." He said and bent over to kiss my hand.

"Good evening, Mr. Salvatore." I said softly as he rose and his eyes met mine again.

"Dinner is served, so if you would follow me Miss Buchanan." He said smirking as he held out his arm.

"Why of course, Mr. Salvatore." I said smirking back as put my hand in the crook of his elbow.

Damon led me to a small table that was in the middle of the garden. It was decorated beautifully. Two plates with covers on placemats on each side. Two champagne glasses set diagonal form each other. And a single rose in a vase in the middle. And to top it all of, it was all sitting on a white table cloth with red and pink rose petals scattered on top.

He slipped my hand out of his arm and walked forward to pull out my chair.

"Thank you, Mr. Salvatore." I said keeping up his game.

"It's my pleasure, Miss Buchanan." He whispered in my ear. I shivered, but it wasn't because I was cold. I cleared my throat a bit and caught the smug look of satisfaction pass over Damon's face. I pursed my lips and smirked while waiting for Damon to continue. It's going to be a long dinner.

After a delicious steak dinner, that Damon just so happen to cook, Damon took me over to the deck and started to play a song on my iHome.

"Dance with me." He commanded softly and stuck out his hand. I nodded speechless and started to sway to the music.

"So how am I dong so far?" Damon asked smirking. "Impressed yet?" he added.

I shook my head smiling. "You are doing wonderfully, Damon." I said smiling softly. "Not that your ego needs any more inflating." I added quietly. He chuckled at that.

"Have you noticed what song we've been dancing to?" he asked randomly.

"Not particularly, why?" I asked.

"Just close your eyes and listen." He ordered softly while kissing my temple.

"Marry me by Train." I said smiling softly with my eyes still closed. I felt Damon's hands disappear from mine. I gasped softly as I opened my eyes and saw Damon on one knee.

"Damon?" I breathed out softly. He grabbed my left hand and exhaled nervously.

"Charlotte Buchanan, you are the woman who has put up with me during my worst times and you still love me despite them. You are the woman who helped me understand that I'm not incapable of loving again. And you are the woman that I want to be married to for the rest of my undead life. So, Charlotte Emerson Buchanan, will you marry me?" he asked and pulled out the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.

I nodded as tears started pouring out of my eyes. "Yes." I said softly. "Absolutely, one hundred percent yes." I said smiling widely.

Damon broke out in a wide smile and slid the ring on my finger. He rose slowly and put one hand on my waist and the other cradling my neck.

"I love you." He said smiling softly.

"I love you too." I said with the same dreamy expression on my face.

And with that he kissed me softly and slowly with the last few lyrics fading in the background.

 

Say you will

Say you will

Marry me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Cheesy? Fluffy? Not enough fluff? Hope you liked it.


	17. Elijah AKA Mr. Original

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie finally meets Elijah. Elijah and Bonnie research how to save Charlie.

Chapter 15

Charlotte's POV

 

I groaned as I opened my eyes. I closed my eyes again and thought back to what happened. Damon, Stefan, and Alaric left. Went up to my room to get a book and a blanket. Heard door slam and then came face to face with a vampire. I gasped and shot up. There was a vampire in the house. I quickly got up off of the couch and felt my breathing start to pick up.

"Charlotte!" Damon's voice said full of worry as he ran into the room.

"Damon!" I exclaimed and turned around to find him standing a couple feet away. I ran over and pulled him in a tight hug burying me face in his neck. "Ohmygod Damon, there's a vampire in the house." I said quickly. I felt his body tense up, but he relaxed after a few seconds and wrapped his arms around me too.

"It's alright, Charlotte. Elijah isn't going to hurt you. Stefan brought him here to help." Damon said quietly. I sighed in relief and felt myself relax. I released my grip on his neck and took a few steps back once he released his grip on my waist.

"Sorry about the hug. I just got really freaked out, especially now since a group of vampires are trying to kill me." I said sheepishly.

"It's… alright. You were just relieved to see a friendly face." He said hesitantly, but added a smirk at the end.

"Friendly? Sure." I said sarcastically and went to sit back down on the couch. "So, where is this Elijah guy?" I asked him.

"You rang, Miss Charlotte." Elijah said as he appeared in front of me. I gasped lightly.

"Stupid vampires are always trying to give me a heart attack." I grumbled.

"My apologies, Miss Charlotte." He said as he grabbed my hand and kissed it. I smiled sheepishly as I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks. He's cute.

"It's not a problem, Elijah. You didn't know about my phobia." I said a bit nervously. I studied him as he nodded and sat down on the chair next to the couch. "Are you by any chance the Original vampire, Elijah, that Elena told me about?" I asked him curiously.

"Why yes I am. How did you figure that out?" he asked.

"I had Elena tell me the names of all of the vampires that we are allies with. And she only said that name Elijah once, so I figured that it had to be you." I said answering his question.

"Very logical of you, Miss Charlotte." Elijah said nodding in approval. I laughed softly.

"Alright, this gabfest is over. It's time to talk business, Elijah." Damon said annoyed as came over and sat down on the other side of the couch.

"Well, while you two talk business I am going to go and find something to eat, even though I'm not hungry." I said and got up to walk to the kitchen.

 

It's been three days since Elijah came to the boarding house and no one has come up with anything to get rid of the vampires or to help keep me alive.

Caroline and Elena have been coming over to the boarding house to hang out, trying to keep my mind off of everything. So far they've been very unsuccessful. It's hard to go out shopping or to have lunch at the Grill without looking over your shoulder a few hundred times to make sure that someone isn't following you.

I sighed sadly as I walked into the living room.

"Is everything alright, Miss Charlotte?" Elijah asked from his seat on the couch.

"Yeah. Um…everything's okay, I suppose." I said shrugging.

"You do not sound too sure about that answer." He said insightfully.

"It's been a rough couple of months." I said smiling sadly as I sat down on the couch on the opposite end of Elijah. I turned to the side and scooted back until my back hit the arm of the couch and pulled my knees to my chest. I grabbed the blanket hanging over the top of the couch and draped it over my legs.

"Will you tell me stories about what it was like to live through history? Damon and Stefan don't like to talk about it very much." I asked him.

"Of course. Where should I start?" he asked.

"The beginning. The Viking Era when you were human, if you don't mind." I answered.

"Very well." He said. "The Viking Era was…different from now. My parents moved from Europe to the New Land, as it was called, in the 10th century. The town was set up was next to a town of werewolves. And we lived in peace with them until my younger brother Henrik was killed." He started telling me.

Elijah finished with the first part of his story when Damon came back home.

"So you, Klaus, and Rebekah promised to stay with each other?" I asked him.

"Yes, but as you can see, that didn't work out that well." Elijah said chuckling humorlessly.

"What going on?" Damon asked wearily.

"Elijah's giving me a history lesson. A very accurate version of history, I might add." I said smiling.

"Sounds like an utter waste of time. You already know history." He said rolling his eyes as he took off his leather jacket.

"Yeah, well I wanted to here what it was like to live through history, not just read what the historians say might have happened." I said sticking my tongue out at him.

"Sounds boring." Damon said.

"No one said you had to stay here and listen Damon." I retorted and turned back to Elijah. "Please continue with your story." I asked him.

"Where did we leave off…? Oh, yes. Bulgaria 1492. And the lovely Katerina Petrova." He started up again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Damon sit down on the chair that sat diagonally from the couch.

"What's next, Miss Charlotte?" Elijah asked after he finished with England in the Victorian Era.

"Let's go back to U.S. history. Were you in America for the Civil War?" I asked excitedly. I saw Elijah's eyes dart towards Damon for a second then darted back to mine, but I brushed it off as if it was nothing.

"No, I'm afraid I stayed in England for until 1901 when Queen Victoria died." He said smiling sadly.

"Dang it. I finally get a vampire to talk history with me and he isn't there for my favorite war." I said pouting slightly. Elijah chuckled at my pout.

"I sincerely apologize, Miss Charlotte. But, why may I ask is the Civil War your favorite war?" he asked curiously.

"It's the war that finally put the South in its place." I said smiling brightly. Elijah and I laughed lightly. "Sorry, Damon." I said smiling innocently at him.

"Thanks. But you're right. The South did need a good ass-kicking." He said smirking.

I sighed. "Alright, so where were you during WWI?" I asked him intrigued in the story again. Elijah chuckled and launched into the story.

 

After a few breaks for food and other things, Elijah finally finished with his story.

"Well, I'm tired. I'm going up to bed." I said as I got up from the couch and grabbed my blanket. "Thank you for the story/history lesson, Elijah." I said smiling tiredly.

"You are welcome, Miss Charlotte." He said nodding to me.

"Good night, Elijah." I told him then turned to Damon. "Good night, Damon."

"Night, Charlotte." He said absentmindedly and turned to Elijah. I rolled my eyes and went up to my room.

 

Damon's POV

"Why did you tell Charlotte that you weren't in America during the Civil War?" I asked Elijah once Charlotte was out of hearing range.

"I don't have any idea of what you're talking about Damon." He said lying.

"We both know you were here, now why did you lie to Charlotte and tell her you weren't?" I asked him annoyed.

"You should be the one to tell her about the Civil War, Damon. You did live through it." Elijah said smirking.

"Why should I do it when you could have done it?" I asked him beyond annoyed now.

"We both know you are in love with her, Damon. Telling her of your human life during the Civil War era would show her that you care for her enough to let her in." He said smirking smugly. I huffed. "Look, Damon, I gave you an opportunity to get closer to her. You may do with it what you wish. Now, I must be going. I am trying to find a way to save the woman you love." He said and then disappeared. I growled lowly. Stupid, good for nothing Original vampire. Always butting into someone's business, dammit.

 

Charlotte's POV

I woke up the next morning with Damon sitting in my room. I raised an eyebrow at him, not really surprised.

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked him curiously.

"Good morning to you too, Charlotte." Damon said smirking. I rolled my eyes and got up.

"I'm going to get dressed. By the time I finish, hopefully you will have an answer for me." I said to him and went into my bathroom to change.

I finished getting dressed and brushed out my hair and Damon was still sitting in my room, but now he was on my bed.

"You have an answer yet?" I asked as I sat down on my bed across from him.

"Maybe." He said smirking.

"Alright. Call me when you actually have an answer." I told him annoyed as I got up off my bed. In an instant Damon was in front of me. I raised an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Alright. I'm going to tell you about the Civil War and my human life." He said exasperated.

"Are you sure? Because you don't have to, Damon. I understand how hard it is to bring up your past." I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just sit back down and I'll start." He said gesturing to my bed.

"Alright." I agreed.

 

After two hours, Damon finally finished with his story about his human life.

"Wow." I said stunned. I had no idea that Damon was so different.

"You would've liked the human version of me better." He said smirking.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess. I mean what girl doesn't want the perfect gentleman to sweep her off her feet." I said smiling.

"Thanks you're making me feel so much better." He said rolling his eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that, smart ass. I meant that, sure girls want to the knight in shining armor, but I prefer the guy that is mysterious and cynical, so nobody can see that he had his heart broken before. So…I like 2012 Damon better than 1864 Damon." I explained smiling and got up off my bed. "I really appreciate you telling me about your human life, Damon." I added smiling softly.

"Yeah, sure." He said smirking. "Let's not get all sappy and start spilling our feelings out."

I gasped dramatically. "I would never. That would be taking it too far." I teased him.

"Doorbell." Damon said and vanished out of my room. I rolled my eyes and followed him downstairs.

"Hey, Ric." I greeted him as I saw him and Damon in the living room.

"Morning, Char." He said smiling. I looked over at Damon and saw him getting ready to leave. I raised an eyebrow at him and went to sit down on the couch next to Ric.

"See you two later. If you need me I'll be with Witchy and Mr. Original at Witchy's house, but…try not to need me." Damon said smirking and left. I rolled my eyes and turned to Ric.

"You have some explaining to do, Saltzman." I told him smirking.

"I know. Let's go and I'll explain over food." He said getting up.

"Sounds like a plan." I said following him.


	18. New Character

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of New Character/Alaric's Love Interest

New Character/Alaric's Love Interest:

Full Name: Morgan Elizabeth Byrne

Nickname: Raven

Birthday: October 13, 1981

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color/Glasses or Contacts: Bright Green Eyes/Reading Glasses

Height/Body Shape: 5'6/Curvy with a Flat Stomach, Toned

Personality: Can be shy at first, but a real hell fire once you get her going. She has an Irish temper and she will speak her mind when she feels strongly about something. Can be sarcastic and fun with her friends.

Nationality/Ethnicity: American/Half-Irish-Half-Caucasian

Talent/Skills: Plays the piano and guitar, draws, and can sing, but doesn't like to in front of people. A great driver and a trained fighter.

Style: Modern and she's not afraid to show some skin.

Languages Spoken: Gaelic, French, and can read and interpret Latin.

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Likes: Ice Skating, dogs, kids, eating home-cooked foods, playing piano and guitar when no one is around.

Loves: Her Mom, Being with people that she loves, drawing someone when they don't know it, Photography, Reading, and Writing.

Goals/Dreams: To have a family of her own, Seeing Ireland, Witness a miracle, and Fall in love.

Dislikes: Liars, Bullies, and Fake People.

Fears: Drowning

Background: Morgan Elizabeth Byrne was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Sara and Steven Byrne. She was a shy, but fierce child. She was also very reserved and kept to her small group of friends, but eventually grew out of that by high school. Morgan's father left her and her mother when Morgan was only ten years old, which drove Morgan to excel in high school. Morgan got straight A's in high school, was valedictorian of her graduating class, and got a full ride scholarship to Harvard University where she studied law and English. She eventually graduated from Law School and became a lawyer in her hometown of Boston, where her mother still lived. Her mother remarries after Morgan's graduation from Law School and moved to Florida with her new husband, so Morgan moved to the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, where she was offered a job by the town's mayor, Carol Lockwood.


	19. Stage Four: Feeling Run Down or Tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alaric tells Charlie about his new girlfriend, Morgan and Charlie tells Ric that she's in love with Damon. And Charlie's brother visits.

Chapter 16

Charlotte's POV

 

"Okay! I can't take the silence anymore, Ric." I said frustrated as we sat at the Grill eating our lunch. "Spill, now."

"Alright. Well her name is Morgan Byrne and she just moved here from Boston. Carol offered her a job as the new lawyer for the town." He started explaining.

"She human?" I asked bluntly. Alaric's jaw dropped. "What?" I exclaimed. "I had to ask. You have a terrible history with women who have anything to do with the supernatural beings in this town. I'm just saying."

"Yes, she's human alright and she doesn't know about anything supernatural." He huffed.

"Good. Now tell me more about her." I asked him smiling brightly.

"She's beautiful. She has long black hair and bright green eyes. She's about your height, maybe a little bit taller. She went to Harvard for school. She's half Irish and has the temper to prove it." He described her with a dreamy look on his face. I smirked at him. "What?" he asked confused.

"My little Alaric is in love." I said smiling brightly. Ric promptly blushed. I started giggling.

"It's not funny." He huffed and looked down.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm happy for you Ric." I said putting my hand over his. "You deserve to be after everything that has happened to you in the last few years."

"Thank you. Now tell me about what's happening with you and Damon." He said smirking. I paled and ripped my hand back.

"I don't have the slightest idea about what you just said." I said quickly and got up to go pay for our bill.

"This isn't over, Charlotte." He shouted at me as I walked away. I groaned and paid the bill.

 

"So, are going to answer my question about you and Damon?" Ric asked as we walked in to the Boarding House.

"There's nothing to tell, Ric." I said nonchalantly.

"Then why did you get up so quickly after I asked you." He said seeing right though my lie.

I sighed sadly. "Ric, if I tell you something do you promise not to tell anyone?" I asked him desperately.

"Yes, of course Charlotte." He said as he followed me to my room. I gestured for him to go inside. I closed the door behind us and locked it. I sighed again. "Charlotte, what's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"I'm in love with the stupid ass." I said bluntly and sat down on my bed.

"Huh?" Alaric said dumbfounded.

"Please don't make me say it again. It hurt enough the first time." I said depressed and laid down on my bed staring up at the ceiling.

"Really? Damon?" he asked.

I laughed humorlessly. "I keep asking myself the same question."

"Char, I'm not sure that…" he started but trailed off.

"I know, Ric. He will never feel the same way. I got that part loud and clear." I said annoyed.

I sighed loudly. "Maybe it was a mistake coming back to Mystic Falls."

"Why would you think that?" he asked incredulously.

"Ric, if I had stayed with my parents I wouldn't have caused all of this drama. I would have just died and nobody would have known that I even had cancer or that I was dead. I would not have fallen in love with someone who will never feel that same way. And let's not forget the freakin' coven of vampires that are after me." I said exasperated and closed my eyes. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. After I slowly sat up and opened my eyes.

"Sorry, Ric. I didn't mean to take that all out on you. I'm just frustrated with myself." I said smiling apologetically.

"It's alright. We all have our breaking points." He assured me. "Now I don't know about the whole being in love with Damon thing, but I do know that it is an absolutely great thing that you came to Mystic Falls because if you didn't we would've never become best friends. And Caroline, Tyler, Elijah, Stefan, Damon, and I will make sure that the coven of vampires won't get anywhere near you, alright?" he explained to me. I smiled sadly and nodded.

"Now, we are due to meet everyone at Bonnie's house for a meeting. We are going to plan out this vampire situation so when the time comes, you will be safe." He said standing up. I stood up too and grabbed my purse.

"You okay to go? Not tired?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said truthfully.

"Good." He said and opened my door.

"So, when can I meet Morgan?" I asked him changing the subject.

"We have a meeting to go to. We'll talk about this later." He said flustered and walked downstairs.

"Ric!" I exclaimed. "I will meet her, whether you like it or not!" I shouted at him as I followed behind him.

 

Ric and I were the last ones to show up at Bonnie's house.

"Finally." Damon said sarcastically. I showed no reaction towards him, still feeling a bit flustered about my confession to Alaric, and went to sit down next to Jeremy.

"You alright?" he asked concerned. I nodded as Elijah started the meeting.

"Elena, Bonnie, and Jeremy will be here with Miss Charlotte while Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Tyler, Alaric, and I will be at the Boarding House fighting off the coven. There won't be many according to the information Damon and Stefan got out of the vampire that was at the house a few nights ago before they…disposed of him." Elijah explained then turned to me. "Miss Charlotte, you are going to have to stay here with Bonnie until the coven is destroyed. Damon and Stefan will bring you here in three days, so we can make sure everything is in place." He said.

"Alright." I agreed.

I ended up falling asleep at Bonnie's house and Stefan and Damon bought me home. I woke up as Damon was carrying me in the house. I sighed sleepily and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked.

"No." I said simply as he walked up the stairs to my room.

"You still tired?" he asked.

"Yeah." I answered as he opened my door.

"Alright, go back to sleep then." He said as he laid me on my bed.

"Night, Damon." I said and fell back asleep.

 

I woke up the next morning feeling sluggish and tired. Damn cancer symptoms. I got up and changed out of yesterday's clothes into a simple long sleeve white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. I slipped on a pair of ankle socks and walked downstairs slowly.

"Good morning, Miss Charlotte." Elijah greeted me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, Elijah." I said as I rubbed the tired out of my eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

"I have cancer. I'm never alright." I teased him with a small smile.

He chuckled. "Well, at least your humor is still in tact." He said as we walked to the kitchen.

"Morning, Charlotte." Stefan said as Elijah and I came into the kitchen.

"Hey, Stefan." I said as I yawned softly.

"You still tired?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Symptom four." I explained simply.

"What's symptom four?" Damon asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Feeling run down or tired." I said as I sat down on the island and put my head on the table.

"Oh." Damon said simply.

I was on the verge of falling asleep when the doorbell rang. My head shot up quickly.

"I'm awake." I said tiredly.

"Yes, we can all see that." Damon said sarcastically as Stefan went to answer the door.

"Uh…Charlotte, someone is here to see you." Stefan shouted from the door. Damon looked at me questioningly. I shrugged at him, got up, and walked to the door.

I gasped once I saw who it was. "Josh!" I shrieked and ran over to him.

"Charlie." He said his voice full of relief. I hugged him tightly afraid that it was a dream. He lifted me up and spun me around. Once he put me back on my feet, my head started spinning.

"Careful, Charlotte." Damon said as he steadied me.

"Thanks, Damon." I said gratefully.

"Who are you?" Josh said evenly narrowing his eyes at Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon said glaring right back.

"Joshua, that's enough." I whispered harshly.

"What?" he exclaimed. "You can't expect me to be nice to someone who is touching my sister and I don't even know who he is."

"Be nice. Damon and Stefan have been taking really good care of me. They are letting me stay in their house." I scolded.

"How do I know that they haven't taken advantage of you?" he argued back.

"Stefan is Elena's boyfriend." I said rolling my eyes.

"And him?" he said pointing his finger accusingly at Damon.

"Damon may look like an ass and he may be an ass, but I trust him." I told him.

"Hey!" Damon exclaimed.

"What? I said that I trust you." I said looking at silently telling him not to make it worse.

"Now, tell me what you're doing here?" I asked him and pulled him into the house.

"I came to see if you were still…um…alive." He said sheepishly.

"Oh." I said simply.

"Mom told me that you just took off for no reason and refused to come back." He explained.

"Of course she did." I said bitterly and sat on the couch feeling out of energy.

"Alright!" Josh exclaimed.

"What now?" I asked him confused.

"Who's he?" he asked pointing at Elijah. Before I could formulate a lie, Elijah stepped in.

"Elijah Mikaelson, pleasure to meet you." Elijah said sticking his hand out for Josh to shake.

"You too." Josh said shaking his hand. "Are you Charlotte's boyfriend?" Josh asked innocently. Damon spit out his drink as Stefan tried to hide his laughter.

"Yes!" I said quickly. Damon and Stefan looked at me incredulously. Elijah just looked at me calmly with a raised eyebrow. I gave him a look that said 'just go with it'.

"And he's my doctor." I added lying quickly.

"Oh, okay. Is Charlotte doing okay?" he asked Elijah.

"Why don't we go and talk in the kitchen." Elijah suggested.

"Sure." Josh agreed. "I'll be right back, Char. And then we'll talk." He told me. I nodded to him.

"What the hell was that?" Damon spit out once they were out of hearing range.

"I panicked okay." I said to him.

"Why Elijah? You could have said that I was your boyfriend." He accused.

"I don't know. Elijah seemed more realistic." I lied. Not really. If I went with you I would make my stupid feeling grow even more. Stefan gave me a look that said he didn't believe me, but didn't say anything.

"I would have made it seem realistic." He said annoyed as he poured himself another drink.

"Yeah well, you saw how my brother reacted when he saw you help me earlier. He didn't even glare at Elijah when he asked him if he was my boyfriend." I said remembering that and just went with it.

"Whatever." He grumbled as he sat down on the chair across from the couch.

"No need to be jealous, Damon." I teased him. Stefan snickered, earning a glare from Damon.

"I think I will go and tell Elena that your brother is here and that Elijah is your new boyfriend." Stefan said with a big smile on his face. Damon growled and chucked his empty glass at Stefan.

"Nice try, brother." Stefan said as he caught the glass and set it back down before leaving.

"I'm not jealous." Damon spat out evenly.

"I know. I was just teasing you, Damon. Calm down." I told him rolling my eyes as Elijah and my brother came back into the room.

"Damon and I will leave you two to talk." Elijah said as Josh came to sit down next to me.

"Thank you, Elijah." I said smiling softly at him, knowing he would get the double meaning behind it. He nodded and pulled a seething Damon out of the room.

"So, Elijah tells me that he and his assistant Bonnie might have found something to help you." Josh told me smiling softly.

"Yeah, I hope that it will work." I said lying because I knew absolutely nothing about Elijah and Bonnie's research yet.

"So, you're doing your doctor." Josh said suggestively as he wiggled his eyebrows. I blushed heavily at this.

"It's not like that, Joshua." I chided him.

"Mm-hm. So why you're doctor?" he asked. "Isn't he a bit old for you?" Josh asked father-like.

"No, he's only 25. And I will turn 22 in a month." I said lying to him again.

"So did you like hook up with him before he became you doctor or what?" Josh asked.

"Joshua!" I scolded.

"What? I just want to know if he is taking care of you." He exclaimed.

"He is taking very good care of me, Josh. And if you must know, we met before I found out he was my doctor. Elena introduced us when I came back to town." I made up.

"Oh. Does he always wear suits like that?" he asked curiously.

"Sometimes. He is just a very serious and polite person. He's old-fashioned." I said inwardly smirking at how I worded that.

"So, you're basically telling me that he's boring and stuck-up." He assumed.

"He is not. He's charming and sweet and very interesting." I said sticking up for Elijah.

"Mm-hm. So, tell me how you ended up living with two guys instead of one of the girls." He asked.

"It's wasn't my idea, trust me. Elena pushed me into it with that motherly glare of hers." I explained to him. "But I can't lie and say that Stefan and Damon haven't been good hosts and haven't taken care of me." I added somewhat truthfully.

"So when did you tell them about the cancer?" Josh asked knowingly.

"Not by choice. They found out after the symptoms started coming back. I wanted some normalcy in my life." I told him.

"Only you Charlotte would not tell your friends that you were dying just to keep the normalcy in balance." He teased.

"Well excuse me for wanting a normal life here after living with our parent for 21 years." I said teasing him back.

"I can't blame you there. Mom and Dad are crazier now that you are gone." He said sighing.

"Like how? Are they pressuring you even more?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Mom says now that you left I 'carry that family's reputation on my shoulders'. I really want to tell her where she can put her reputation." He said smiling brightly.

"Well don't do that…yet." I advised him laughing. He laughed too. "Just wait until you turn 18. Then you can do it."

I suddenly yawned loudly. "Sorry." I said sheepishly to him. "It's symptom four." I explained.

"Okay, well. I'm going to go back to my hotel so you can sleep." He said and got up from the couch.

"Wait, will you still be here when I wake up?" I asked him vulnerably.

"Don't worry, Char. I'm not leaving tomorrow night." He assured me.

"So soon?" I asked him sadly.

"Yeah, Mom doesn't know I'm here. She thinks I'm sleeping over at Cody's for the weekend. She'll expect me back by tomorrow night for school on Monday." He explained to me. I nodded sadly.

"Call me when you wake up and I'll come back over." He promised me.

"Okay." I agreed. "Be careful." I told him as he was walking out of the living room.

"Always am." He said flashing me a smirk.

As Josh left I laid down on the couch feeling my eyes start to close. The last thing I felt was something warm being draped over me.


	20. Stage Five: Loss of Weight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Salvatore's have a surprise for Charlie. The Mystic Falls gang graduates from high school.

Chapter 17

Charlotte's POV

 

I sighed sadly as I woke up. I had only one more day before Damon and Stefan were taking me back to Bonnie's house. I was shaken out of my thoughts by Damon knocking on my door.

"Time to get up, Charlotte. Stefan, Elijah, and I have a surprise for you." Damon said through my door.

"Alright. I'm getting up." I said sighing as I got out of bed.

"You have five minutes until you have to be downstairs or I will personally escort you downstairs." Damon ordered.

"I'll be down soon, Damon. I won't lock myself in my room just because my brother left yesterday." I said shaking my head.

"Four minutes." He shouted as I heard him walk away.

I quickly through on a pair of black shorts and a blue and gold tank top with a pair of tan and white sandals and ran a brush through my hair and took my medicine and walked out downstairs.

"So, what's the big emergency?" I asked curiously.

"We know that you are on a limited amount of energy now and it's hard for you to go back and forth from the Lockwoods and the house, so we got something for you." Stefan said cryptically. I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Yes, so Damon suggested that we get you a piano for the house." Elijah explained. "The other got broke when Klaus was destroyed." He added.

I squealed happily and smiled brightly as they moved to show me a brand new white grand piano. Stefan came over and led me to the piano.

"You like it?" Stefan asked sarcastically.

"Love it." I whispered ignoring his sarcasm. "It's amazing." I added as I ran my hand across the keys.

"Thank you Stefan." I said turning around and hugging him.

"Your welcome." He said honestly.

"You too, Elijah. I really appreciate it." I said gratefully as I hugged him.

"Anytime, Charlotte." He said smiling.

I turned shyly to Damon as Elijah and Stefan slipped out of the room.

"What no hug for me?" Damon said sarcastically.

I shook my head amused and wrapped my arms around his neck. He instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Thank you, Damon. Its one of the best gifts that I've ever gotten." I said my voice full of gratitude.

"Why don't you show me that you can actually play the thing?" He said changing the subject.

"Challenge accepted, Salvatore." I said and sat down on the stool. I felt Damon slide in next to me as I ran my fingers over the keys.

I started to play what I've been working on at the Lockwoods house, Gravity by Sara Bareilles.

 

Something always brings me back to you  
It never takes too long  
No matter what I say or do  
I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone

You hold me without touch  
You keep me without chains  
I never wanted anything so much  
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain

Set me free, leave me be  
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity  
Here I am and I stand so tall  
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be  
But you're on to me and all over me

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile  
When I thought that I was strong  
But you touch me for a little while  
And all my fragile strength is gone

Set me free, leave me be  
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity  
Here I am and I stand so tall  
I'm just the way I'm supposed to be  
But you're on to me and all over me

I live here on my knees  
As I try to make you see  
That you're everything I think I need  
Here on the ground

But you're neither friend nor foe  
Though I can't seem to let you go  
The one thing that I still know  
Is that you're keeping me down  
You're keeping me down

You're on to me, on to me and all over  
Something always brings me back to you  
It never takes too long

 

I heard loud clapping coming from behind me when I finished. I looked behind me and saw that Stefan and Elijah came back into the living room.

"Thanks, guys." I said looking down blushing.

"That was truly amazing, Charlotte." Elijah told me.

"That was great, Charlotte." Stefan said agreeing.

"Thank you." I said gratefully.

"Now, I must get ready for my graduation ceremony." Stefan said getting up off the couch.

"Your second graduation ceremony, you mean." I teased him.

"And I still look seventeen somehow." Stefan joked as backed out of the room.

"I know. It's zany." I said mock shocked. Stefan laughed as he left the room.

"I also must be going. Bonnie has requested to go over some things before the ceremony." Elijah said formally as he stood up to leave.

"Okay. Have fun, Eli." I said smiling brightly.

"Thank you, Charlotte. I will certainly try my hardest." Elijah said humoring me and left. I laughed softly and turned back to Damon.

"You're awfully quiet today, Damon." I commented.

"No, I'm not." He defended.

"Right, because the normal Damon Salvatore is a super silent person." I said teasing him.

"Whatever. You better start getting ready too, Charlotte. We have to leave here by two." Damon said dropping the subject and started walking out of the room.

"Doesn't take me three hours to get ready for a graduation ceremony." I grumbled as I stood up from the piano, knowing that he could hear me.

 

One hour later, I was showered and in my bra and underwear searching for something to wear in my closet. I grabbed a raspberry colored tea-length dress and walked over to my full size mirror to see how it looked. I liked how it looked so I turned and tossed it on my bed. I turned back to the mirror and screamed once I saw my reflection. My eyes got big and my breath was coming out in short gasps.

"Charlotte!" Damon shouted as he burst in my room. "Charlotte? What happened?" Damon asked confused once he saw me in my bra and underwear.

"I…I...um…my ribs." I finally managed to choke out. "I can see my ribs already." I whimpered.

"Um…it that one of the…" Damon asked trailing off.

"Number five already." I said while looking at myself in the mirror sadly. Damon coughed uncomfortably.

"Why don't you get dressed really quick?" Damon suggested.

I quickly snapped out of my revere and realized I was still in my bra and underwear. "Right." I said and walked to my bed. I grabbed my dress and slipped it on. Then I walked back to the mirror and looked at myself.

"Can you see my ribs in this?" I asked him softly.

"No, you look nice." Damon answered.

"Thanks, but I think I can still see my ribs." I said in disbelief.

"Why don't you wear a jacket over your dress?" Damon suggested.

"Yeah, that could work." I said as I walked to my closet and grabbed my black leather jacket off of the hanger and slipped it on.

"Better?" he asked.

"Better." I agreed with a small smile.

"Alright. Finish getting ready and we will leave." Damon said and walked out of my room. I sighed sadly as I walked to my bathroom. Symptom five already. This is happening faster than I thought.

"Ready yet?" Damon asked as he walked into my room.

"Yeah, I just have to get my shoes on." I told him as I grabbed my black ankle booties out of my closet.

"You're wearing heels?" he asked.

"Of course. Flats and sandals don't go with this outfit. And I want to feel as normal as possible when I'm out in public." I said as I slipped them on.

"Whatever." Damon said disinterested.

"You asked." I teased him as I grabbed my cell phone and walked to the door.

"Come on. And don't wander off from someone supernatural, or Ric, will you?" Damon told me as we walked downstairs.

"Sure." I huffed. "Mom." I mumbled under my breath.

Damon looked back at me and rolled his eyes letting me know that he heard me.

 

Once we got to the high school Alaric, Jeremy, Elijah, and a woman who I'm assuming is Morgan was outside waiting for us.

"Took you long enough." Jeremy teased. I rolled my eyes at him and walked towards Alaric.

"Ric." I said happily and hugged him.

"You look beautiful as always, Charlotte." He commented as we separated.

"Thank you." I said smiling trying not to think about symptom five.

"Charlotte, this is my girlfriend Morgan." Ric said introducing me to the black haired, green-eyed woman next to him.

"It's nice to meet you, Morgan. Alaric has told me a lot about you." I said sticking my hand out for her to shake.

"All good I hope." She said smiling hesitantly at me and shaking my hand.

"Of course. You should have seen his face when you started telling me all about you-" I started saying, but Ric cut me off.

"Okay, why we don't we go in and get seats before the ceremony starts." Alaric said flustered and took Morgan's hand steering her towards the school.

"You are the queen of embarrassing people, Charlotte." Jeremy said laughing and followed Alaric and Morgan.

"I know and I love it." I said smiling mischievously. "Come on, Eli. Let's go watch all my friends graduate from high school." I said taking Elijah by the arm. He chuckled and escorted me in with Damon following behind us.

 

During the ceremony, Jeremy and I were the loudest ones in there. They called Bonnie first and Jeremy and I stood up cheering very loudly. Then Matt, Caroline, Elena, Tyler, and finally Stefan went and got their diplomas. Once the graduation finished the staff escorted us out of the gym and onto the football field for pictures.

"Congratulations, guys! Group hug!" I announced to them. Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, and I all squished together hugging each other.

"How does it feel to officially be out of high school?" I asked them.

"Relieved." They all answered at once. We laughed and I went to congratulate Stefan, Tyler, and Matt.

"Congrats, guys. It's been a hell of a year for you." I told them winking.

"No kidding." Tyler snorted.

I laughed and watched as they dispersed and Stefan and Tyler went to Elena and Caroline, respectively.

"You tell anyone yet?" Damon asked as he popped up next to me.

"No." I replied simply. "I'll tell them tomorrow. Today should be a happy day for them." I said smiling at them sadly.

"You should be happy too, you know." Damon told me seriously.

"Kind of hard to when you are on the verge of dying, Damon." I answered with a fake smile so no one suspected anything.

"I guess, but today you should be happy. Your best friends just graduated high school for the first and only time." He reasoned with me.

"Not Stefan." I laughed.

"Stefan's special." Damon smirked.

"I'm sure. Now go and be a good big brother and congratulate Stefan." I told him.

"Fine, if I must." Damon mock huffed.

"Hey." Morgan said walking towards me.

"Hey, Morgan." I said smiling at her. "Where's Ric?" I asked her curiously.

"With Elena and Jeremy taking pictures." She replied.

"Nice. They roped him into pictures." I said jokingly. We laughed.

"Where's Damon?" she asked.

"Congratulating Stefan." I answered and took a drink of water.

"That's good." She commented. "You guys look really cute together, by the way. How long have you been dating?" she asked. I almost choked on my water as I swallowed it.

"What?" I asked her again to make sure I heard her right.

"You guys are dating right?" she asked confused.

"Not a chance. Damon and I would kill each other." I said smiling at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You two just looked like you were together." She apologized.

"That's alright." I said waving it off.

"He's hot though. Why not date him?" she asked.

"I completely agree with you, but he's an ass." I told her.

"Why do the hot ones always have to be asses?" she asked jokingly.

"I know, right? What happened to guys being hot and sweet all wrapped up in one?" I said mock dreamily. We laughed as Ric approached us.

"Hey, Morgan." He greeted kissing her on the cheek. I inwardly 'aww'ed like the romantic I am.

"Hey Char, can we talk really quick?" Ric asked.

"Sure." I answered.

"I'll go and congratulate Elena and Bonnie." Morgan said politely and left.

"What's up, Ric?" I asked curiously.

"Damon told me about symptom five." He said bluntly.

"That ass!" I exclaimed. "He can't respect anything that I want to do." I added angrily.

"He was just doing what he thought was right, Char." Alaric defended.

"I told him I was going to tell everyone tomorrow and he still can't keep his mouth shut." I said heatedly.

"He worries about you." Alaric said.

"You better stop defending him, Saltzman." I threatened.

"I'm just saying." He said defensively.

"So am I. Does he just love to spill my secrets?" I asked rhetorically. "Did he tell anyone else?" I asked him after I calmed down a bit.

"No, just me." Ric answered.

"Good." I said sighing in relief.

"So…what do you think of Morgan?" he asked changing the subject.

"She's amazing, Ric." I told him truthfully. "She suits you perfectly."

"Thanks, Char. Your opinion really matters to me." Ric said smiling in relief.

"Don't worry, Ric. I won't wreck you only successful relationship." I said teasing him and gave him a quick side hug before walking away.

"You better not." He teased back as he jogged after me.

 

Before Damon and I left to go back to the boarding house, I asked Morgan if she wanted to have a girl's day tomorrow, so the two of us can get to know each other and I can show her around town. She agreed and we went our separate ways.

I got into Damon's car and ignored him the whole way home.

"You're angry with me, aren't you?" Damon asked smirking.

"Nooo, what would ever gave you that idea?" I said sarcastically.

"It's because I told Ric, wasn't it?" he guessed correctly.

"Why did you have to tell him?" I asked him angrily as he parked the car and we got out.

"He's your best friend. He had a right to know." He said trying to reason with me.

"I was going to tell him tomorrow!" I yelled at him as I walked into the house.

"So, what's the big deal about telling him less than 24 hours earlier?" Damon asked annoyed.

"Damon, I know that this must be hard for your tiny brain to comprehend, but the closest thing to a daughter that Ric has just graduated from high school today. Today was supposed to be about Elena, not me. Ric's mind was supposed to full of happy thoughts about Elena graduating not me getting dying soon." I explained to him angrily.

"Okay, I make a mistake. I'm allowed to make mistakes." Damon shouted back.

"You've make several mistakes, Damon. You should start thinking and maybe you wouldn't make so many of them." I shouted at him.

"Well maybe if you lived with someone else, then you wouldn't have to deal with all of my mistakes." Damon exclaimed angrily.

"Fine. I'll be gone by tomorrow afternoon." I said heatedly.

"Good." Damon said coldly and vanished out the front door.

I took a deep breath and sat down on the stairs. I groaned. Damn it! What the hell did I just do?


	21. Charlotte Needs A Babysitter AKA Ric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Bonnie have a movie night. Charlie and Morgan have a shopping day and are followed by Damon and Ric.

Chapter 18

Charlotte's POV

 

What the hell am I going to do now? I'm so screwed if I don't come up with something. I sighed and pulled out my phone.

"Hello?" Bonnie answered.

"Hey, Bonnie." I said with all the enthusiasm that I could muster up.

"Hey, Charlotte! What's up?" she asked curiously.

"I need a favor." I said sadly.

"Anything." She said immediately.

"I need to come and stay at your house starting tonight instead of on Wednesday." I explained to her.

"Of course, but why now?" she asked curiously.

"I'll explain when you get here. We need to out of here before Damon gets back." I explained to her the best that I could.

"Alright. I'll be there in ten." She said and hung up. I put my phone back in my jacket pocket and walked upstairs to pack some stuff.

Once Bonnie knocked on the door, I had finished packing two bags. I packed enough for about two weeks.

"You ready?" Bonnie asked and took one of my bags.

"Yeah." I said smiling sadly at the house as we walked to her SUV.

 

By the time we got to Bonnie's house and unloaded my bags, I had finished explaining everything that happened today to Bonnie.

"You can have the guest bedroom while you stay here. My dad is out of town for the month, so you don't have to worry about running into him. I have a bathroom attached to my room, so the one next door is all yours." Bonnie explained to me. I nodded taking everything in.

"Everything will work out, Charlotte. Elijah and I are on the verge of finding an answer for you. I'll make sure you don't die." Bonnie assured me with a determined voice.

"Thanks, Bonnie…for everything." I said my voice full of gratitude. "I know that you are supposed to out celebrating tonight."

"Don't worry about it, Charlotte." She assured me. "Everyone is celebrating with their families right now anyway."

"Well then, we'll celebrate tonight together. Think of me as your makeshift family for the night." I offered to her.

"Sounds like fun." Bonnie said gratefully. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Dinner, dessert, a couple romantic comedies with happy, sappy endings?" I offered.

"You have yourself a deal." She said laughing.

"But, first, we must change into some comfortable clothes and then we make dinner." I told her with a smirk.

"Rendezvous in the kitchen?" she suggested while wiggling her eyebrows and keeping up the game.

"You know it." I said and winked at her. We both laughed as Bonnie walked out of my new room.

I finished changing into a pair of sleep shorts and one of my old WVU tank tops and walked down Bonnie's kitchen to start dinner.

"So, how do you feel about Morgan?" Bonnie asked as she came in a few minutes later.

"I liked her. She seems good for Ric." I said smiling softly as I remembered our conversation at the graduation. I laughed softly to myself remembering what she said about Damon and me.

"What's so funny?" Bonnie asked confused as we started cooking.

"Morgan and I were talking at the graduation and she told me that Damon and I made a cute couple and wanted to know how long we've been together." I said smiling at Bonnie. "How ridiculous is that?" I asked her.

"Pretty ridiculous. You and Damon are at each other constantly. You'd kill each other the first chance you got." Bonnie said laughing.

"That's what I told her." I said agreeing with her.

"I just can't imagine you and Damon together. It's too weird." Bonnie stated and went to set the table.

"Yeah, me either." I said somewhat bitterly to myself.

 

Bonnie and I finished eating dinner and moved into the living room for dessert and movies. I went into the kitchen to make dessert while Bonnie picked out the DVDs in the living room.

"Charlie St. Cloud?" she shouted from the living room.

"Too sad." I shouted back.

"He's Just Not That Into You?" she asked.

"Absolutely!" I shouted back as I finished one sundae.

"Eat, Pray, Love?" she asked for the second movie.

"Not enough romance." I answered.

"P.S. I Love You?" she offered.

"Too sad." I said again.

"John Tucker Must Die?" she asked.

"Yes!" I shouted excited as I finished the other sundae and walked into the living room.

"John Tucker Must Die, first please!" I told her excited.

"Favorite movie?" she asked at my excitement.

"No, there's just something about…giving a guy a taste of their own medicine that feels so right!" I told her laughing. She laughed with me.

"No kidding." She agreed.

 

By the time the two movies ended, Bonnie and I were falling asleep.

"Bed?" I asked her.

"Bed." She agreed and we got up off of the couch and went to our separate rooms.

I checked my phone and noticed that I had missed calls, messages, and voicemails from Stefan, Elijah, and Damon. I read the messages and they all basically said the same things, 'Where are you?', 'Are you safe?' 'If you don't answer me within the next hour, I'm calling Elena'. That last one was from Stefan, so I decided to call Elijah first since he didn't threaten me.

"Hello?" Elijah answered cautiously.

"Hey, Elijah." I said softly.

"Thank goodness, Charlotte. Where are you?" Elijah asked relieved.

"I'm at Bonnie's house. I'm fine and safe." I told him to calm him down.

"What are you doing at Bonnie's house?" he asked confused.

"Damon and I had a fight." I answered simply.

"So you left?" he asked confused.

"No, he told me some things and I told him some things and then he said if I didn't like it I could leave and then I said fine I will and then he said good in a very cold voice and-" I rambled on, but thankfully Elijah stopped me.

"I understand, Charlotte. Breathe." He told me. I nodded, but then I remembered that he couldn't see me nod and I took a deep breath.

"I'm okay now." I said surely.

"Good, now I'm going to pass the phone to Stefan. He wishes to speak with you." He warned me.

"Alright." I agreed.

"Charlotte?" Stefan asked concerned.

"Hey, Stefan." I said nonchalantly.

"I come home and find Damon as drunk as he has ever been saying that 'Charlotte is missing' and all you can say is 'Hey, Stefan'?" he deadpanned.

"Um…sorry?" I questioned hesitantly.

Stefan chuckled. "Same old, Charlotte."

"So, just to be sure and everything, you didn't call Elena right?" I asked hopefully.

"No, I didn't call Elena." He told me laughing.

"Thank god. I'm too tired for a lecture." I said and fell back on my bed, my head hitting my pillows.

"Are you coming back home tomorrow?" Stefan asked. I felt my eyes start to water and a lump formed in my throat.

"I don't think I'm wanted over there anymore, Stefan." I said sadly. "It's probably best that I stay at Bonnie's for now."

"Of course you're wanted here, Charlotte." Stefan said softly.

"No, I'm not…not by everyone." I said and tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Charlotte-" Stefan started.

"It's alright, Stefan." I cut him off. "I would have had to come to Bonnie's house tomorrow anyway."

"Alright, Charlotte. Damon wants to talk to you. I'm going to pass the phone to him." Stefan told me.

"No, I'm too tired. I'm going to go to sleep, Stefan. See you guys later." I said quickly and hung up the phone. I closed my eyes tightly to keep from crying and took a deep breath.

I opened my eyes and put my phone on the table next to my bed and turned off my lamp. I pulled the blankets over myself and fell asleep from exhaustion.

 

I woke up the next morning, still a bit sleepy, but I remembered that I'm shopping with Morgan today. I got up and got dressed. I quickly took a shower in the bathroom next door and ran into my room to get dressed. I threw on a pair of black skinny jeans and a leopard print blouse. I grabbed my pair of black peep toe heels and slipped them on. I went back into the bathroom to do my makeup and fix my hair. I quickly French braided my hair and took my medicine. I looked down at the bottle and noticed that there was one pill left. I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was starting to sink in and I was starting to get dark circles under my eyes. I sighed sadly as I heard the doorbell ring.

"Charlie! Alaric and Morgan are here." Bonnie shouted upstairs.

"Be right down!" I shouted back as I walked from the bathroom to my room.

I quickly slipped on my black boyfriend blazer and grabbed my cell phone and purse. I walked downstairs fast and saw Alaric and Morgan waiting patiently for me.

"Hey, Morgan." I said smiling at her.

"Morning, Charlotte." She greeted mw back.

"What are you doing here, Ric?" I asked him confused.

"Well, I went to drop Morgan off at the boarding house so you two can take your car, but I was informed by Damon that- and I quote- 'we had a fight last night and she got her feelings hurt and left'." Ric said looking at me with a stern expression.

"I did not get my feelings hurt." I grumbled. "He was being an ass and he knows it."

"Just be careful today, will you? Both of you?" Ric asked.

"Of course, Alaric." Morgan said sweetly.

"Sure, Ric." I said to him. "Ready to go?" I asked Morgan.

"Yup." She said to me. "See you later." She said to Ric and kissed his cheek.

"Can I talk you, Charlotte, for a second?" Ric asked me.

"Sure." I said a bit skeptically. "Here are the keys, Morgan." I said handing her my car keys.

"Thank you. I will be sitting in that beautiful cherry red Mustang outside." She said dreamily. Alaric and I laughed as she walked out to my car.

Bonnie came over at this time.

"What's going on?" I asked confused.

"Damon and I are going to be secretly following you today while Bonnie and Elijah work on finding something." Alaric explained. I huffed audibly.

"I don't need a babysitter, Ric. Especially Damon as my babysitter." I said annoyed.

"Ah, see that's where you're wrong. You have a coven full of vampires after you and you have cancer. So, in my mind, you need a babysitter. Even if it is Damon." Alaric said proving himself right.

"Just keep you space will you? I don't need your girlfriend to think that I'm any weirder than she already does." I told him and walked out of Bonnie's house annoyed. Just ignore Damon and your stupid feelings for him and you will be just fine, Charlotte.

 

I drove us the center of town so that we could walk around the town and then each lunch at the Mystic Grill.

We got halfway through shopping and me pointing out things in town before I was starting to feel tired.

"Can we go and sit down on the park bench for a few minutes?" I asked her.

"Yeah, sure." She agreed and we walked over to the park.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, it's just one of my symptoms acting up again. It will hopefully go away soon." I explained to her.

"Symptoms?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, didn't Ric tell you?" I asked her equally confused.

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"I have cancer." I told her still shocked that Ric never mentioned it.

She gasped. "You have cancer?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I assumed that Ric told you already." I apologized.

"Oh, Charlotte. How long have you had this?" she asked me sadly.

"Since I was fifteen." I answered with a sad smile.

 

Damon's POV

"What are we doing out here, Ric?" I asked Alaric annoyed as we roamed around the center of town.

"Nothing." He told me quickly. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What exactly are we doing out here, Alaric?" I hissed out.

"Charlotte and Morgan have plans to shop around town and we are making sure Charlotte doesn't die in the process." He hissed back at me.

"Charlotte would never agree to us babysitting her, especially me." I scoffed.

"That's funny because those were her exact words." Ric teased. I glared at him. "She didn't agree because I didn't give her a choice, Damon." I crinkled my eyebrows as I picked up Charlotte's voice across the center of town.

"Wait." I told him and listened.

"Can we go and sit down on the park bench for a few minutes?" Charlotte asked Morgan.

"Yeah, sure." She agreed and they walked over to the park.

"Are you alright?" Morgan asked Charlotte concerned.

"Yeah, it's just one of my symptoms acting up again. It will hopefully go away soon." She explained to Morgan.

"Symptoms?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, didn't Ric tell you?" Charlotte asked her equally confused.

"Tell me what?" Morgan asked.

"I have cancer." Charlotte told her.

She gasped. "You have cancer?" Morgan exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I assumed that Ric told you already." Charlotte apologized to Morgan.

I stopped listening and turned to Ric.

"You are doing a sucky job at watching Charlotte and your girlfriend, Ric." I taunted him.

"I am not." He defended himself.

"Yeah, then where are they?" I asked him with smirk.

"They're over…crap." Ric said as he pointed to the spot that Charlotte and Morgan moved from.

"Rightttttt." I said to him dragging out the 't'.

"Where are they?" he asked me knowingly.

"Park bench. Charlotte is feeling faint." I told him pointing to the park behind me. "You really didn't tell Morgan that Charlotte had cancer?" I added asking him.

"No, why?" he asked nervously.

"Because she knows now via Charlotte herself." I said smirking. "And now they are about to go to the Grill for lunch." I added as I picked up the end of Charlotte and Morgan's conversation.

"To the Grill then." Ric said and we followed Charlotte and Morgan into the Grill.

 

Charlotte's POV

Morgan called Ric once we finished lunch and he came and picked her up from the Grill while I drove my car back to Bonnie's house. I walked into the house and noticed paper, Grimoires, and other things for making spells scattered around the kitchen and the living room.

"Bonnie? Elijah?" I called out hoping one of them would answer.

"Charlotte! Thank god you're home. Come with me!" Bonnie said quickly as she come into the hallway and pulling me into the dining room where Elijah was sitting.

"Hey Elijah, why is Bonnie so jumpy?" I asked him curious.

"Because Charlotte, Bonnie and I have found something to save your life." Elijah told me proudly as a hopeful smile spread across Bonnie's face.

"What?" I asked them almost silently.


	22. When Vampires Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The coven chooses the best time to execute their revenge. Damon takes Charlotte to Alabama to lay low.

Chapter 19

Charlotte's POV

 

Previously on Darkness in the Sun

Morgan called Ric once we finished lunch and he came and picked her up from the Grill while I drove my car back to Bonnie's house. I walked into the house and noticed paper, Grimoires, and other things for making spells scattered around the kitchen and the living room.

"Bonnie? Elijah?" I called out hoping one of them would answer.

"Charlotte! Thank god you're home. Come with me!" Bonnie said quickly as she come into the hallway and pulling me into the dining room where Elijah was sitting.

"Hey Elijah, why is Bonnie so jumpy?" I asked him curious.

"Because Charlotte, Bonnie and I have found something to save your life." Elijah told me proudly as a hopeful smile spread across Bonnie's face.

"What?" I asked them almost silently.

 

"What?" I asked them almost silently.

"Charlotte! We found something that will help you!" Bonnie said excitedly.

"I think I need to sit down." I said a little shaken. Elijah was up in an instant and guided me to a chair. I smiled at him in thanks. I took a few good deep breaths and looked up at Bonnie and Elijah.

"Okay, can you explain everything to me?" I asked once I calmed down a bit.

"I remembered that Grams gave me Emily Bennett's Grimoire, from when Damon and Stefan were human, and I started to go through it and found a spell to create an Immortal." Bonnie started explaining.

"An Immortal?" I asked confused. "I've never heard of it before."

"That's because none have ever existed." Elijah told me.

"So, I will be the first?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes, you will." Elijah answered surely.

"What is an Immortal exactly?" I asked.

"You are an immortal, supernatural creature like a vampire or a werewolf. You have the combined powers of a vampire and a werewolf. You have super speed, agility, and strength, heightened senses, and fast healing." He started explaining.

"So, I have the powers of a vampire?" I asked.

"Yes, and the weaknesses of a werewolf. You can be killed by pure silver to the heart. You can also be killed by a witch." He explained further.

"A witch?" I questioned.

"A witch makes an Immortal therefore a witch can kill and Immortal." He explained clearing up my confusion.

"Okay. Is there anything else?" I asked scared of what else he can add.

"Good news, you cannot be compelled by anyone." He said smiling.

"Anyone? As in hybrids, vampires, and Originals?" I asked.

"Correct." He answered.

"And the bad news?" I asked sighing.

"Your body is frozen at this age and since you're frozen you are unable to bare any children." He said smiling sadly at me.

"Oh." I said sighing trying to take everything in. "Can I get sometime to think about this before we tell everyone?" I added asking them.

"Yes, of course. It is a lot to take in." Elijah said smiling and got up to leave.

"Wait." I told him. He turned and raised an eyebrow in question. "What do I eat?"

"You want to know if you are to drink blood like a vampire?" he asked. I nodded hesitantly. "No, you do not have an specialized diet, Charlotte." He told me. I let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, Elijah." I said to him gratefully.

"Bonnie and I will collect the ingredients in case you agree." Elijah told me and walked into the living room.

"I know that this all feels overwhelming and becoming immortal is a big thing, Charlotte, so I need you to think carefully about this." Bonnie told me pleadingly.

"I will, Bonnie. Don't worry." I told her reassuringly.

 

Two weeks passed and I still hadn't made my decision. I still haven't told anyone because I needed to think this over without everyone giving his or her opinion on it. Currently I am at the Boarding House getting more clothes to take to Bonnie's house. I feel like I'm the President right now though. I have supernatural creatures set up everywhere. Damon is guarding my room door even though we haven't spoken since our fight.

I had just finished packing a bag to take when I heard a crash coming from downstairs. I gasped when I felt Damon rush into my room and pick my bag and I up and jump out my window.

I was about to yell at him when he covered my mouth. He tossed my bag and I into the back of Elena's SUV and blurred to the drivers seat and slammed his foot on the gas. I quickly sat up and put on my seatbelt.

I turned to look back at the boarding house and saw the coven of vampire surrounding it.

"Damon! What the hell? We have to go back and help them." I yelled at him.

"No!" he roared. I flinched, never hearing Damon yell like that before.

"We all came to the agreement that who ever was the closest to you when they attacked, they would grab you and take you far away until it was safe." Damon explained heatedly. And it just had to be you.

"But, what if one of them gets hurt?" I said guiltily.

"They can protect themselves. You can't." he said shortly. I got the message that he didn't want to talk and grabbed my iPod out of my bag and put my headphones in. This is going to be torture.

 

I fell asleep somewhere between North and South Carolina. I woke back up when we were in Bluebell, Alabama. [A/N: Hart of Dixie reference for those who watch the show ;)]

"We should be safe here until Elijah calls." Damon said tiredly. I looked outside and saw that the sun was going down.

"Come on, we need to get you something to eat." Damon said and got out of the car. I groaned in annoyance and got out of the car. I fixed my hair and my clothes, so I didn't look so much like I just woke up. Bad day to wear a dress and heels.

We walked up to a place called the Rammer Jammer. Yup, it's official. We have officially gone southern.

Damon and I walked in and saw that it was actually a bar. Damon went to the bar and I sat down at a table and looked through the menu.

I was still flipping through the menu when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, are you new to town?" A brunette woman who didn't look like she was from here asked.

"Yeah, I am. How can you tell?" I asked curiously.

"No offense, but you don't look like you're from here." She said and laughed softly.

I smiled and said, "Well, no offense, but you don't look like you're from here either."

She laughed and sat down across from me.

"New York?" I guessed.

"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked.

"You look like a New Yorker. I'm Charlotte Buchanan." I said introducing myself.

"Dr. Zoe Hart." She introduced herself smiling.

"It's nice to meet you, Zoe." I said.

"Nice to meet you to, Charlotte." She said as a guy came up to us.

"Evenin' Doc." He said to Zoe with a smirk.

"Hello, Wade." Zoe deadpanned.

"And you are..." Wade flirted with me. Zoe scoffed.

"Out of your league, Cowboy." I taunted with a smirk. Zoe burst out laughing.

"Fair enough. Wade Kinsella." He introduced himself, tipping his imaginary cowboy hat.

"Charlotte Buchanan." I said smiling sweetly at him.

"Can I get you ladies anything?" He asked us.

"Burger and fries for me." Zoe said to Wade.

"Same here." I said agreeing with Zoe.

"Have these out in a minute." He said to us. "Oh and that creepy looking guy sitting at the bar has been staring at you since you walked in." Wade said lowering his voice. Won't do any good, cowboy. Damon can still hear you.

I looked over at Damon and smiled sweetly at him. He smirked back holding up his drink.

I turned back to Wade. "Don't worry about Damon. He's harmless." I told Wade reassuringly. For the most part...

"If you say so." He said and walked back to the bar.

"You know that sexy enigma over there?" Zoe asked astonished.

"Yup, but word of warning, he's an ass." I told her.

"Damn. That's a waste of a good body." She said disappointed.

I sighed dramatically. "I know." We laughed together.

"So...what's the deal with you and Wade?" I asked her after our laughter died down.

"Nothing! Who said Wade and I had a deal. There is no Wade and Zoe deal. None at all." She rambled nervously.

"Rightttttttt." I said in disbelief.

"What the deal with you and Damon?" She asked changing the subject.

"Who said that Damon and I had a deal?" I asked nervously while fiddling with my napkin.

"You two so have a deal! You two are oozing sexual tension." She told me with a straight face.

"So! How did a New York doctor end up in the small town of Bluebell?" I asked changing the subject.

"I didn't get my cardiothoracic fellowship and had to study general practice for a year." She started explaining humouring me.

"How long do you have left?" I asked her curiously.

"My year was up a month ago, but I decided to stay here. This place grew on me." She said smiling softly.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." I said with a soft smile.

"Are you from a small town?" She asked.

"Yup, good old Mystic Falls, Virginia." I said with a bitter laugh.

"I'm taking it that you don't like it there very much?" Zoe guessed.

"No, I love it there." I told her with a sigh. Zoe had a confused look on here face. "I got leukemia when I was fifteen and my family and I moved away. I just recently moved back to Mystic Falls by myself." I explained further.

"You have cancer?" she asked shocked. I nodded. "Do you still have it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it came back again. I was in remission twice, but about five and a half months ago my doctor told me that it came back and I have no more than six months left." I told her with a sad smile.

"So, you went back to your hometown to basically die there?" she assumed.

"Yeah, I didn't think that it would grow on me again, but it did. Small towns suck you in and you never want to leave." I said with a bitter laugh.

"My mother lied to me about who my real father was until I came here." She blurted out trying to change the subject back to her.

"Wow. Life sucks, doesn't it?" I joked.

"It sure does." She said shaking her head. We laughed together as Wade came back with our food.

 

Zoe and I ate and exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. She pointed Damon and me in the direction of the only motel in the town. She promised to meet up with me tomorrow in town so we could talk more.

"Looked like you were getting really chummy with the town folk today." Damon said with a smirk.

"At least I made friends instead of sitting in the corner making people think he was a stalker." I teased him.

"I don't need people to like me in this stupid town. We won't even be here that long." He said with a scoff. I shook my head and checked my phone to see if anyone had called. I sighed nervously when I saw none.

"I'm sure they're doing okay." Damon told me softly. I nodded acknowledging him, but not agreeing with him. I grabbed a tank top and a pair of shorts and walked into the bathroom to change.

I walked out once I finished and saw Damon standing by the window with his shoes off and his shirt unbuttoned exposing his chest. I felt my heart start to race, but quickly calmed it down because I know that he could hear it. I quickly ripped my eyes off of his (amazing!) chest and walked over to the only bed in the room. I lay down on the left side exhausted from everything that happened today. I crawled under the blanket and turned to my side with my back facing Damon.

I felt the other side of the bed dip down and Damon crawl into the bed. I closed my eyes and let the exhaustion take over.

 

I woke up in the middle of the night after having a mild nightmare about the others. I looked over at Damon and saw that he was still asleep. I gently got out of the bed and walked to the bathroom. I took a deep breath and checked my phone again. Nothing, again! I sighed, angry that I didn't know what was going on.

I walked back to the room and looked over at Damon and saw that he was still asleep. I grabbed my iPod out of my bag and sat on the windowsill. I put my headphones in my ears and looked out the window worrying about the others.

 

I woke up the next morning in the bed with Damon sitting on the chair drinking a cup of blood.

"Please tell me you haven't killed anyone yet?" I asked him half-joking and half-serious as I stretched my sore limbs.

"No, thank you very much. I raided your doctor friend's blood supply." He answered with an eye roll.

"Damon!" I exclaimed. "What if she notices that she has blood missing?" I added asking him.

"I only took two bags. She won't notice a thing." He said rolling his eyes again.

"Whatever." I said as my phone rang. I quickly grabbed it and saw deflated a bit seeing that it was Zoe.

"Hey, Zoe." I answered in a cheery voice.

"Morning, Charlotte." She greeted me. "Do you want to meet up at the gazebo in the center of town? I can show you around, though there isn't much, and we can have breakfast." She offered.

"Sure. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready and I'll be there." I told her excited.

"Great, see you soon." She said and hung up.

I got up out of bed and grabbed my bag. I went into the bathroom and got dressed. I threw on a cute sundress and some wedge heels. I brushed out my hair and my teeth. I put on some makeup and tossed a fedora on my head.

I grabbed my bag and walked back into the room. I put my bag on the floor next to the bed and grabbed my purse.

"Do I look okay?" I asked Damon. He looked at me skeptically, as in 'do I look like a girl to you'. "I mean, can you tell that I have cancer? Are my ribs showing?" I clarified.

Damon sighed loudly and put his drink on the table.

I took this as him not wanting to answer me and said, "Come on, Damon. I need to know that one thing is going my way today!" I exclaimed. I huffed and sat on the bed with my back facing him. "I don't want to constantly worry about how I look today with everything else too." I said softly.

"Come here." Damon said softly. I looked up and saw him in front of me. I stood up quietly.

"Give me your necklace." He demanded softly. I looked at him confused. "Just give it to me really quick." He said a bit annoyed. I rolled my eyes and took it off my neck. I put it in his hand and gave him a pointed look, as if to say 'what now'.

He took a deep breath and looked deeply into my eyes.

 

Damon's POV

I took a deep breath and looked deeply into Charlotte's cobalt blue eyes.

"You are going to go and have a fun and carefree day with Zoe Hart. You are going to forget about your ribs showing and anything to do with Mystic Falls and the vampire clan. You will forget until I tell you to remember." I said compelling her.

I finished compelling her and looked at her as she looked around confused. She looked so…happy too. I didn't realize how much of a toll this took on her until now.

"Damon!" Charlotte called out snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked her with smirk.

"I have to go and meet Zoe Hart right now, but can you explain to me later what we are doing in this town?" she asked me with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Yeah, sure." I told her. I looked down at my hand and saw that her necklace was still there. "Wait, Charlotte! Don't forget your necklace." I said and held it up for her to see.

"Thanks, Damon." She said with a carefree smile on her face. She grabbed it and put it back on. "See you later."

I let out a breath once she left. I hope she doesn't hate me for this later.

 

Charlotte came back into the room with a tired smile on her face later that night.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just forgot how tiring walking around town was. I over did my limit today." She said as she grabbed her bag to change.

She came back out and went to sit on the windowsill.

"Did you have fun?" I asked.

She looked at me with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, but why are you being nice to me? We do nothing but argue with each other. And come to think of it, what are we doing in Bluebell, Alabama? It's a little ways from Mystic Falls, Virginia." She thought out loud. I sighed annoyed. It's now or never.

"I compelled you, Charlotte." I told her bluntly.

"What? How did you do that? I've had my necklace on…" she started to say, but stopped when she remembered that I handed her the necklace back today before she left.

"Why?" she asked quietly with a hurt look on her face.

"Let me remove the compulsion and you'll know why." I told her. She nodded hesitantly and removed her necklace. I walked over to her and looked deeply into her eyes.

"You can remember now." I told her simply. I sped back over the other side of the room, not wanting to be in the way of her rage, as I saw all of the stress return to her body.

I cringed as I saw tears starting to form in her eyes. She got up of the windowsill and walked over to me.

I tried to make her think that I didn't care what she said about me compelling her with a bored look on my face.

She wordlessly put her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I tensed quickly out of pure shock. I wordlessly snaked my arms around her waist and relaxed.

"You're not mad?" I asked not bothering to keep the shock out of my voice.

"No." she said quietly.

"Why?" I asked even more shocked.

"You took away all of the stress that's been weighing me down for months now. Why in the world would I be angry about that? That's the most selfless thing that anyone has ever done for me." She told me with an astonished tone.

"So, you think I'm selfless?" I asked her with a smirk as she pulled back.

"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. What you did was selfless, you as a person on that other hand…well that can be heavily debated." She teased. I unwound my arms from her waist and smirked.

"See, I can be nice when I want to." I told her with a smirk. She laughed and put her necklace back on her neck.

"So, have you heard anything from them?" she asked worried.

"Yeah, Elijah is coming down here tomorrow morning to explain how everything went down." I told her.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"He said that everyone was doing fine." I lied a little bit. Not everyone was going to fully recover from this fight, but I didn't tell her that.

The stress in her eyes visibly diminished. "Good. I'm so glad that everything has been worked out now." I nodded in agreement.

"I'm exhausted so I'm going to lay down." She said and walked towards the bed. "Night Damon." She said as she lay down in the bed.

"Night Charlotte." I said with a small grin.


	23. Adventures in Bluebell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie does something she regrets.

Chapter 20

Charlotte's POV

 

I woke up in the middle of the night that night. I looked over and saw Damon sleeping with one arm behind his head. I sighed conflicted as I remembered what Zoe and I talked about today.

 

Flashback

"So, seriously, what's the deal with you and Damon?" Zoe asked as we sat in the park with iced coffee and coffee cake.

"Seriously?" I asked her. She nodded. "I don't know. We hated each other when I came back to Mystic Falls. We argued constantly, but not like mean arguing. More like taunting." I told her truthfully.

"How do you feel about him?" she asked.

"I fell in love with him about a month or so ago." I told her with a sad look on my face. She looked at me confused.

"Why are you sad about it?" she asked confused.

"Because he fell in love with my best friends twin sister, Katherine, when he was like 16. In the end, Katherine chose his brother, Stefan, over Damon. And then Damon fell in love with my best friend, Elena. And Elena chose Stefan over Damon. And I think that he is still in love with Elena. And if he is, then I stand no chance whatsoever." I explained (lying a bit) to her nearly bursting into tears.

"Wow. So, he's had his heart broken twice." Zoe said sadly.

"Yeah. I don't have a chance, so I am keeping my feelings inside forever." I told her with a humorless laugh.

"Why don't you just tell him? What if he isn't in love with Elena?" Zoe questioned me.

"That's a big what if. I don't know if I can take that risk." I answered truthfully.

"I know what you mean." She said and took a sip of her iced coffee.

"So, seriously, what's the deal with you and Wade?" I asked her using what she did to me.

"I don't know. I fell for the town lawyer, George Tucker, but he was engaged to Lemon Breeland. Lemon had an affair with the town mayor, while she and George were on a break. Then George found out and broke the engagement. Then he got back together with Lemon and was about to marry her, but he didn't. He then came to my house and confessed his love for me after I had just slept with Wade." She explained.

"You win." I mumbled. She laughed and shook her head.

"It's not over yet." She said to me. My eyes widened and I gestured for her to continue.

"After George confessed his love for me I went back inside, where Wade was waiting for me naked, and I got so confused. The next day I told George that I didn't know what I felt for him anymore. I was conflicted. I didn't know who to choose." She explained further.

"Where is George now?" I asked her.

"In New York. I told him that I didn't love him anymore and he left." She told me.

"How do you feel about Wade?" I asked her.

"I don't know. Most of me really, really likes him and wants to have a stable relationship with him, but there's a small part of me that is holding back because Wade is a notorious player and keeps pushing me away." She explained sadly.

"What a pair we make." I said with a sigh.

"I know." She said with a sigh. "I'll make you a deal." She said suddenly.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"You tell Damon that you love him and I'll tell Wade that I want to have stable relationship with him." She said and stuck her hand out for me to shake.

"I don't know, Zoe. What I have to do and what you have to do are to very different steps in a relationship." I commented.

"Okay, at least tell him you have feelings for him." She reasoned. I took a deep breath and shook her hand.

"I have a bad feeling that I'm going to regret this deal." I told her as we finished our coffee and coffee cake.

"Me too." She mumbled.

I laughed and told her, "You're the one that made it up." She laughed as we got up and threw away our trash.

End of Flashback

 

I sighed again and got out of bed quietly. I grabbed my long black thin knitted cardigan and threw it on, on top of my sweats and tank top.

I walked to the door and quietly slipped out in the motel hallway. I leaned against the wall and breathed in the fresh Alabama air.

What the hell am I going to do? I can't tell Damon I love him now. If I did and he rejected me, then I just made the car ride home super awkward. And if I didn't, then I'll never know how he feels about me.

I sighed frustrated and closed my eyes.

"Charlotte?" Damon questioned softly. My eyes snapped open and I quickly turned away from him.

"Not now, Damon." I told and pulled my cardigan around me tighter.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"I'm fine, Damon." I told softly as I stared out at the town.

"You sure?" he asked unconvinced as he stood next to me.

"Yeah, just…confused and conflicted." I confessed to him.

"About?" he asked beckoning me to explain.

"Just some stupid guy." I said as if it was nothing. I noticed Damon tense up, but I didn't mention it.

Damon didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Who is he?" he finally asked.

I looked up into his eyes for the first time since he walked outside and asked softly, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes." He said with a tense swift nod. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Zoe's words rang through my head; At least tell him you have feelings for him. I opened my eyes and walked closer to him until our chests where touching.

Damon's breathing hitched, but he stayed in place and looked down at me.

"It's you." I whispered to him. I leaned in close to him until our lips brushed against each other. I stopped and waited for him to react.

He leaned in more until our lips mashed together. I took this as a sign and kissed him harder. Damon responded by kissing me harder and snaking his arms around my waist, holding me flush against him. I locked my arms around his neck and started running my fingers through his hair. He tore his lips off mine and attacked my neck while gently pushing me against the wall. I missed the feeling of his lips on mine so I tugged on his hair and he was back on my lips in an instant.

After a few minutes, we pulled away from each other with our foreheads touching. I was still trying to catch my breath when my mind cleared up. I closed my eyes and thought, I love you, Damon.

I gasped surprised when I felt Damon rip himself out of my grip. I quickly opened my eyes and looked at him a bit confused.

"You what?" he asked breathless. My eyes widened in realization.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud." I looked into his eyes and said softly.

"How long?" he asked a bit tense.

"Since after Caroline's birthday party." I confessed looking down at my feet.

Damon exhaled loudly. "I-I'm sorry, Charlotte." He started. My heart dropped, but my mind expected this. "I think I still have feelings for Elena." He told me quickly.

I closed my eyes tight as I felt my heart break. I took a deep breath and composed myself. I wasn't going to cry in front of Damon.

"It's okay, Damon. You can't help who you have feelings for." I assured him with a slight shake in my voice.

Damon half-stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something. "I better go and gather my things. Elijah should be here soon." I told him while looking at my feet. I didn't say another word and quickly walked to the hotel room.

 

Once I was inside, I felt the tears start to fall down at a fast rate. I scrambled over to the bed and silently cried.

I was still crying silently when someone knocked on the door. I tensed, hoping it wasn't Damon.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" Elijah's voice asked worriedly. I relaxed and got up to let Elijah in the room.

"I'm fine." I told him softly.

"Are you sure? Why were you crying?" he asked confused.

"Umm…can we talk about this on the way home? Damon told me that you have some things to tell me." I asked him as he walked in and shut the door.

"Yes, of course. Are you ready to go?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Just let me get changed and then we can leave." I told him. He nodded and sat down on the chair as I grabbed my bag and walked into the bathroom.

I quickly threw on a pair of jeans, a white tank, my long knit cardigan, and a pair of TOMS flats. I tied my hair up into a loose ponytail and tried to make it look like I wasn't crying.

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the bathroom and found Elijah waiting by the door.

I nodded to him, indicating that I was ready to go. He nodded back, took my bag for me, and guided me to his car. I noticed that Elena's car was still in the parking lot.

"Damon will be driving the car back to Mystic Falls." Elijah told me when he noticed I was staring at Damon's car.

"I told him that I loved him and he rejected me." I whispered to Elijah.

"Then he is not worthy of your love." Elijah whispered back.

"I wish I saw it that way." I said with a humorless laugh.

"You will, one day." Elijah told me with a sad smile. I gave him a sad smile back.

"Elijah, would you mind if we made two stops before we leave Bluebell?" I asked him.

"Not at all. Where would you like to stop?" he asked curiously.

"At the mayor's house. I need to say goodbye to Zoe and then the store. I need to pick up a couple of things." I explained to him.

"Of course." He said and pulled out of the motel parking lot and followed the directions that Zoe gave me this morning.

I smiled as we pulled into the long driveway that led to the mayor's plantation style home. Elijah parked the car and sped around to help me out. I nodded in thanks and we walked up the steps to the front door.

Elijah went to knock on the door, but it swung open. My jaw dropped as I saw former football player Lavon Hayes standing there.

"You're the mayor? Ex-football player Lavon Hayes." I asked astonished.

"Yes, I am." He said bashfully with a smile. "Who are you?" he asked politely.

"I'm Charlotte Buchanan and this is my doctor, Elijah Mikaelson." I said introducing us.

"Oh!" Mayor Hayes said in recognition. "You're Zoe's new friend. It's nice to meet you both." He added and shook both of our hands.

I nodded. "Is she home? I wanted to say goodbye before I left." I asked him.

"Yeah she is, but she lives in the carriage house down there." He said pointing to one of the houses by a lake.

"Thank you, Mayor Hayes." Elijah said with a smile.

"It's not a problem at all. Y'all have a good day and come back to Bluebell soon." He said with a big smile.

"Thank you." I said again and Elijah guided me off the porch and into the car as Mayor Hayes shut his door.

Elijah drove us over to the carriage house down the road and helped me out of the car and up the steps of the carriage house. Elijah knocked on the door.

"Coming!" I heard Zoe yell out.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she said excited once she opened the door.

"I just came to say goodbye. I'm going back to Mystic Falls today." I told her with a sad smile.

"I'll give you two some privacy." Elijah said politely and walked down the steps and over to the car.

"Who's he?" Zoe asked once she thought Elijah was out of earshot.

"Elijah Mikaelson, my doctor." I told her.

"He's hot too." She said bluntly and we laughed.

"This sucks! We barely got to get know each other." Zoe said sadly.

"I know, but Elijah has a new treatment that I have to start. He says that he can give me more time." I said only half-lying to her.

Her eyes widened. "That's amazing!" she said beaming. I nodded with a smile.

"Did you tell Wade?" I asked her changing the subject.

She nodded shyly and blushed. "He told me that he wants to give a real relationship a try!" she said excited. I smiled, excited for her.

"That's great, Zoe." I told her, happy for her.

"What about you and Damon?" she exclaimed. My smile fell. "Oh no…" she said trailing off.

"I might have told him that I loved him after I made out with him. And then he might have rejected me because he's still in love with my best friend." I explained to her while blinking back tears.

"Charlotte, I'm so sorry! If I never made that stupid deal-" she started, but I cut her off.

"It's not your fault, Zoe. You couldn't have known that he was going to reject me." I told her while trying to contain my tears.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked me.

"I'm going to go back to Mystic Falls and I'm going to get healthy and then I'll find someone who doesn't love my best friend." I told her with a smile.

"Good! Come and visit me soon though." She said and hugged me.

"Of course. I have your email and your phone number. Call me anytime, alright?" I told her as we pulled apart.

"Of course." She mocked me. We laughed and I started walking down the stairs. Elijah met me at the bottom and helped me to the car.

"Oh and Zoe?" I called out to her as she was halfway in her house.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Good luck with cowboy. I'll be rooting for you!" I told her with a bright smile.

She laughed and said, "Thank you."

I got into Elijah's car as she walked back into her house.

 

Elijah stopped at the store and I ran in and got a notebook and a couple of pens. I paid for them and got back into the car.

As we were driving past the sigh that said 'You are now leaving Bluebell', I remembered that Elijah was supposed to tell me about the vampire fight.

"Elijah?" I asked.

"Yes?" he asked.

"What were you supposed to tell me?" I asked him nervously.

"A couple of people got hurt during this fight, Charlotte." Elijah said gravely. I took a sharp breath; afraid to ask ho got hurt because of me.

"Who?" I asked him after a couple minutes.

"Elena and Morgan." Elijah answered softly. I gasped softly.

"Are they alright?" I asked him scared of what he is going to say.

"They fine now, but Morgan was bit by one of the vampires and now knows all about the supernatural world." Elijah explained. I nodded taking it all in.

"What about Elena?" I asked worried.

"Elena is in transition, Charlotte." Elijah told me gravely.

"She was killed?" I exclaimed horrified. He nodded. Guilt flooded my whole body in a matter of seconds. Elena never wanted to become a vampire. And now because of me she is in transition to become something she never wanted.

I felt tears start leaking out of my eyes. Elijah noticed this and placed a hand on top mine. I clutched his hand tight as I cried for Elena.

After I calmed down and stopped crying, Elijah asked me what the notebook was for.

"I'm writing letters for everyone." I answered simply.

"Why, if I may ask?" Elijah looked at me confused.

"I've decided to become an Immortal." I told him.

"Are you sure, Charlotte?" he asked me carefully.

"Positive, it's my only shot at living. But, Elijah can you promise two things?" I asked him.

"Of course." He said quickly.

"Can you give everyone their letters after Bonnie starts the ritual? I explained to them what is going to happen." I explained to him.

"Absolutely. I will make sure they are given out after Bonnie starts. What is your second request?" he asked curiously.

"If this works and I become an Immortal, will travel with me around the world? I want to explore everything." I told him truthfully with a smile.

"I would be honored, Charlotte." He said with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Elijah." I told him grateful and started writing one of the many letters, Damon and his rejection and Elena in transition far in the back of my mind.


	24. Bonus: Fourth of July Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU Fourth of July One-Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a one-shot like the Valentine's Day special, but this time she is an Immortal. This has nothing to do with Darkness in the Sun. (So that means that might not even become an Immortal in the real story!) It's a different storyline, but with the same characters and everything. Enjoy!

Fourth of July Special

Charlotte's POV

 

I sighed sadly as I opened my eyes and found that I was in my old room. I buried my face in my pillow as I remembered the fight that Damon and I had last night. Damon and I always have fights and I always come and lay down in my old room with the door unlocked. Then Damon always comes in when we have both calmed down and takes me to our room (his room) with him. But, there was something different about this fight. When I got in my old room, I locked the door. I didn't want him to come and get me, everything go back to normal, and we forget why we were even fighting.

I love holidays. I can't help by love them even more now that I became an Immortal. I never really got to celebrate holidays like my friends because of the cancer. So, now that I can celebrate them, I want to go and celebrate with Damon. Problem is, Damon doesn't want to celebrate stupid human holidays (his words, not mine).

That's what our fight was about last night. I wanted him to go and help Stefan and the other guys set up for the fourth of July party that we were having at Tyler's house while I cooked the food with Elena and the girls at Elena's house. He started teasing me and I got angry. Then he gets angry, not understanding why I was angry. Then we argue, I leave to my room, and he tries to come and get me, but the doors locked. He knocks on the door and calls my name for fifteen minutes, then gives up and goes to his room when I don't answer. And now in the morning I wake up in my bed, alone.

I sighed again as my phone vibrated on the nightstand next to me. I picked it up and noticed that Elena texted me.

Be to my house in two hours, Caroline's orders. :)

I texted her back. Aye, aye captain! :P

Dejectedly, I got out of my bed and walked in to my bathroom to shower and get ready.

 

An hour and a half later, I was dressed and ready to go to Elena's. I grabbed my keys and purse and started walking downstairs. I heard Damon in the kitchen once I hit the top of the stairs.

I quickly and quietly walked down the stairs and made it to the door before he heard me.

"Charlotte?" he called out as he ran from the kitchen.

"I have to go, Damon." I said quickly and slipped out the door and to my car using my vamp speed (that's what I call it) to my car.

I drove quickly to Elena's and made it there fifteen minutes early.

"Elena! I need coffee!" I shout out as soon as I walked into her house and dumped my purse on her couch.

"Really? Damon never lets you leave the house without coffee." She teased once I got into the kitchen.

"Not today." I grumbled as I sat down on the island and she set cup of coffee in front of me. I gave her a grateful smile and took a sip.

"Fight again?" she asked knowing.

"Yeah, but this time we didn't make up the same night." I told her with a nod.

"What was it about this time?" she asked curiously.

"I want to celebrate a stupid human holiday and I want him to celebrate it with me. He doesn't want to because he's a big bad vampire and he doesn't do anything that he doesn't want to. And heaven forbid, he has anything to do with a stupid human holiday." I explained sarcastically with a scoff.

"Who doesn't want to do anything with a stupid human holiday?" Caroline asked from the kitchen door. I saw that Bonnie and Morgan were with her.

"Damon." I grumbled and drank my coffee.

"You two had another fight last night?" she asked.

"Mm-hm." I answered and sipped my coffee.

"Wow, you two fight a lot." Morgan commented.

"You have no idea." I told her seriously.

"Well, it's his loss. We are going to have fun today without him while he sits home by himself." Bonnie said with a bright smile on her face as I finished my coffee.

"I suppose it does make me feel better that he will be miserable because of his own ego…" I said trailing off with a smile on my face.

"That's better! Now, let's get cooking, shall we." Caroline said excitedly.

 

For the next five hours, the girls and I cooked, ate, and gossiped about random things. Once everything was cooked and packed, we loaded it in our cars and drove to Tyler's house.

We got there and unloaded everything and set it up in Tyler's backyard.

"Hey Charlotte, where's Damon? I though he was supposed to come and help us." Stefan asked as he helped me arrange the food.

"Oh, you know your brother, Stefan. He doesn't want to show anyone that he has an ounce of humanity." I said angrily.

"So, I take it he's not coming at all." Stefan assumed.

"I wouldn't be surprised." I said bitterly and walked back to my car.

I grabbed the last platter of food and heard my phone vibrate in my purse. I noticed it was Damon, hit ignore, and then turned my phone off.

I walked back to the backyard and laid the last platter on the table.

"Everything looks amazing, Charlotte." Elijah commented as he walked up to me.

"Thanks, Elijah." I said with a grateful smile.

"Damon not coming?" he asked.

"Nope, but that's on him. I'm going to have fun with my friends." I said with a small smile.

"Good, you deserve it." He said with a smile.

"Burgers are done! Let's eat!" Tyler yelled out. We all laughed as Caroline shook her head at her boyfriend.

 

We all chatted and ate until it got dark outside. Then Tyler brought out a bunch of blankets so we could sit in his lawn and watch the fireworks that the town does each year.

I sat down on my blanket alone and noticed that everyone was sitting in couples. I shook my head sadly and waited for the fireworks to start.

"May I sit with you?" Elijah asked politely.

"Sure, Elijah." I said smiling.

"So, what was your argument about with Damon?" he asked curiously. I looked at him confused. "Elena told me." He clarified.

"I wanted to celebrate with my friends today and he didn't. He said that holidays are for humans and we aren't human anymore." I explained the best I could.

"And that upset you?" Elijah assumed. I nodded. "Why?" he asked curiously.

I took a deep breath. "When I was human, my parents weren't really big on holidays. We hardly celebrated them. Josh and I would make our fun on holidays because our parents wouldn't let us go to our friends' houses, claiming we were too young. Then when I got cancer at fifteen, we celebrated holidays less and less because I was in and out of the hospital. Eventually, we just stopped. My parents would always have company parties to go to on Thanksgiving and Christmas, so Josh and I stayed home or at the hospital. And now that I'm an Immortal, I can finally celebrate holidays with my friends and my boyfriend." I explained to Elijah.

"I understand. You want to make do everything that you never got to do before." Elijah said.

"Yeah, I just wish Damon was here." I said with a sigh.

"You rang." I heard Damon say from behind me. I jumped up and saw him smirking at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I came to apologize." He said remorsefully. I looked and noticed that Elijah vamp-sped away. I looked back at Damon and raised an eyebrow. I'm not giving in easily this time.

"I'm sorry I was an ass about holidays. I didn't know they meant that much to you." He said as he stepped closer to me and stopped when we were only about one foot away from each other. I looked down at the grass instead of at his face. I sighed giving up and wrapped my arms are his torso and buried my face in his neck. I felt him relax and wrap his arms around my waist and bury his face in my hair. I heard wolf whistles and cat calls from our friends. I smiled into his chest.

"Missed you last night." He mumbled in my hair.

"Missed you too. And my coffee this morning." I mumbled into his chest with a smile. He chuckled and pulled back.

"You want to watch the fireworks since you're here?" I asked hopefully.

"Why not." He said dramatically and sat down on the blanket. I smiled gratefully to him and sat down in between his legs. He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly and laid his head on top of mine.

"Love you." He whispered in my ear as the fireworks started.

"Love you too." I whispered back.


	25. Letters from Charlotte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few of the letters that Charlotte writes for the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically a filler chapter. It is some of the letters written out to everyone from Charlotte. Everyone is getting a letter from Charlotte, but I didn't write out all of them. I only wrote out ones for the people who played a bigger role in Charlotte's life than the others. So, I picked Alaric (her BFF forever!), Elena (her best friend that played a major role in her life before the cancer), Caroline (the person she is the closest to), and Damon (the vampire that just broke her heart). The next chapter will pick up where the last one left off.

Chapter 21

No One's POV really…

 

Dear Ric,

I don't really know what to write. I've always sucked at writing letters and you're the first person I'm writing to, so you have to bear with me, okay? Good.

So, Elijah and Bonnie have found something that they believe will save me. It's another supernatural creature called an Immortal. Elijah told me that I will basically have the strengths of a vampire and the weaknesses of a werewolf. And the best part is that I don't have a vampire's diet! Thank god. After having leukemia, I hate blood. I don't what I would do if I had to eat it. But there is one drawback about this…it's never been done before and Elijah said there is a possibility that it might not work.

Part of me hopes that does work because I would really like to live to see you marry Morgan and have mini-vamp hunters (or mini lawyers, whatever floats your boat, Ric and don't try and deny it, you and I both know you aren't getting any younger. :P) But, the other part of me hopes that it doesn't work. I don't want to have to see you and Morgan and Bonnie and Jeremy and Matt die! I can't imagine my life without you guys and if I become an Immortal, soon enough I will have to have a life without you guys. And to be honest…that terrifies me…a lot!

But, on a less depressing note, I told Damon that I loved him. Well…I thought it after we made out and thought I said it in my head. Guess not because then Damon tells me that he thinks he is still in love with Elena and I go back to the hotel room and cry my eyes out until Elijah get there. Okay, so I admit this is still depressing (to me), but not as depressing as death, right? I know you'll agree and understand my twisted sense of logic and humor because you're my best friend, Ric. And I know what your thinking, 'once she wakes up, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind about this letter…,and then I'm going to hug her!' Right?

I love you Ric. (You're not going to tell me that you love Elena too, are you? :P)

Love,

Your BFF Forever, Charlotte

P.S.: I hope I didn't make you cry too much…

 

Dear Caroline,

First of all, I wanted to say that I love you soo much, Caroline. You've been my best friend since we were little and getting in trouble at the Founders Council Meetings, remember? (Good times.) Or the time we broke Carol Lockwood's vase and blamed it on Tyler! And we still haven't told him that we were the ones who broke it!

But, back to business. So, Elijah and Bonnie have found something that they believe will save me. It's another supernatural creature called an Immortal. Elijah told me that I will basically have the strengths of a vampire and the weaknesses of a werewolf. And the best part is that I don't have a vampire's diet! Thank god. (No offense, Care. Lol.) After having leukemia, I hate blood. I don't what I would do if I had to eat it. But, there is one drawback about this…it's never been done before and Elijah said there is a possibility that it might not work. So, that's why I asked Tyler to take extra special care of you. And don't say that you can take care of yourself because something like a piece of wood in your heart kills you.

So, here's something that you might not know about. I told Damon that I loved him. And let me guess what you say next...when the hell did this happen? I don't know exactly when I started liking him, but after your party he made me tell him about the Kiss the Girl promise and then he might have played the song and kissed me. (Did I forget to tell you that too...oops! :P) Anyway, we made out in front of our room at the hotel in Bluebell and then I accidentally told him I loved him. I totally thought I said it in my head, but I guess I didn't because then he tells me that he thinks he still loves Elena! Wow, right? Yeah, things aren't exactly going my way these days.

I am going to miss you so much, Care. I know I'm talking as if I'm dying, but you have to promise me that you won't grieve too much over me. I need you to live your life and enjoy being eternal. And if I make it, then we can enjoy being eternal forever. :D

I love you, Care!

Love,

Your partner in crime, Charlie!

 

Dear Elena,

So, you're a vampire now…sorry about that, Lena. I didn't mean for this to happen to you. If I would have known that this was going to happen to you, I would have never let Damon take me away.

Turns out this whole trip was a giant bust, anyway! The vamp clan might have been destroyed, but I can give you three things that happened! One, you're a vamp now! (Duh) Two, Morgan was bitten by a vampire. Oh, and three, Damon broke my heart.

I'll explain that last one because you're probably thinking, 'what the hell happened?'. Yeah, well let's see…I think I started falling for him once I got here. I mean besides the banter between us, he's done a lot for me. He helped me home when I was about to pass out on Tyler's front lawn on the day of my 'Welcome Back' party. He helped me cook for our girl's night and he bought the food. He actually got to know me on the way to the carnival and surprisingly enough, he spent the day with me. He gave me my first kiss after Care's party. He even took care of me when I had a fever! He's done a lot for me, how could not fall for him? (Plus, have you seen his body? I mean, I know it's wrong to judge based on looks, but come on!) Anyways, after he kissed me for the first time, I realized that I fell for him. And it hit hard! But, the universe has deemed me unfit to have someone love me the way I love him, so naturally he broke my heart. And I knew it was coming…I knew all along that it wouldn't work out, but there's always that part of you that hopes the rest of you is wrong. And boy do I want to kick his ass for making me feel hopeful. You want to know what he did? He made out with me! I mean if you don't like me like that, why the hell wouldn't you just push me away? God, do I want to kick his ass. But, as for the reason that he doesn't even remotely think of me like that…well you're going to have to ask Damon yourself. I'm sorry, Lena, but if what he said is true, then it's Damon who should be the one to tell you, not me.

Okay, so now that my 'I hate Damon' rant is over, I am going to tell you about the new supernatural creature that I will hopefully become. An immortal! Never heard of it? Yeah, me either. Elijah told me that I will basically have the strengths of a vampire and the weaknesses of a werewolf. But, there's a drawback. (Isn't there always?) Elijah said that there's been attempts, but it's never fully been done before. So, there's a slight possibility that it won't work and I will die. I know that I might not make it out alive…and if I don't, I want you to live your new life to the fullest! I need you to promise me that! I need to know that you will move on when I die. I know I sound morbid, trust me I sound just as morbid with Ric and Care, but there is a fifty percent chance that I don't wake up. And if I don't, I need you to promise me something else. I need you to promise to look over Damon. I know that he is an ass and that he broke my heart, but that doesn't mean that I want to see him fail.

I love you so much, Elena! And I know that you will have a great life with Stefan, Miss-Soon-to-be-Salvatore! (You know its going to happen!)

Love,

Char, your hopefully soon-to-be immortal BFF

P.S.: Now, that you're a vamp, can you slap Damon upside the head for me? I've been wanting to do that since I met him.

 

Dear Damon,

Your letter is the last one that I've written tonight. So, Bonnie and Elijah have something that they hope will save me. Bonnie is going to try and change me into something that they found in Emily Bennett's grimoires. Something called an Immortal. Elijah says that I will basically have the strengths of a vampire and the weaknesses of werewolf. But, Elijah told me that there is a possibility that it might not work. Part of me hopes that it doesn't though. I don't know why…I guess I'm just tired of getting my hopes up each time. I mean, what if I'm not meant to survive? What if I'm meant to die this time? I don't know why I only told you this, Damon, instead of Caroline or Elena or anyone else…but, I did.

Have you ever wondered which hurts the most: saying something and wishing you hadn't, or saying nothing, wishing you had? Personally, I think…I think I would have never told you that I love you if I had the chance to take it back. It wasn't fair to you to find out the way you did. Trust me, I never intended to just blurt it out like that. I didn't even think I said it out loud! I meant to say it in my head and that's it. I knew from the start that I didn't need to be falling for anyone because of the situation I was in. But, you know what sucks about falling for a guy you're not right for? You fall anyway because you think he might be different. I don't think that I absolutely 100% knew that you were different, but I felt like you were different. Obviously, I was right. You are different and I hope you and Elena work out what ever it is that you need to work out. I also knew that I wasn't the right person for you. That much was obvious.

I want to thank you too, Damon. You helped me and you befriended me, even though you knew that you didn't have to.. I sincerely hope that everything works out with Elena. And if it doesn't work out with Elena, I hope you find someone that will make you smile all the time. Someone that will always be there for you. Someone that even though you fight with them, you always want to go to bed and wake up next to them. You deserve to be happy, Damon, after everything you've been through. I hope we can be friends after all of this.

I will always love you, Damon.

Charlotte

P.S.: Take care of Ric for me. Despite his words and your actions, I know you two are still best friends.


	26. The Immortal Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Immortal Process begins.

Chapter 22

Charlotte's POV

 

Elijah and I made it back to Mystic Falls by dinnertime. He immediately drove us to Bonnie's house.

"Have you finished with your letters?" Elijah asked as we pulled into Bonnie's driveway.

"Yeah, just finished with the last one." I said with a sad smile as Bonnie came out of her house.

"Okay, so I have everything ready. Elijah and I just need to set up everything." She told me as I got out of the car.

"Alright. Do you have any envelopes that I can use? I want to put the letters in them as you guys set up." I asked her as Elijah helped me in the house.

"Yep, they're in my room, second drawer in my desk." She told me as she shut the door. I felt two rushes of air in a matter of seconds.

"Here you are, Charlotte." Elijah said as he handed me a stack of envelopes.

"Thanks, Elijah." I said gratefully and went to sit down in Bonnie's kitchen.

I quickly put the letters into their respective envelopes and wrote each name on the front.

I stacked all of the envelopes up quickly and sighed nervously.

"We're ready, Charlotte." Elijah said as he came into the kitchen. I nodded and sighed nervously again.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah, just nervous and a bit freaked out. Not really used to the whole supernatural thing yet, especially when it happens to me." I said truthfully.

"Trust me, you will get used to it soon enough." Elijah said with a small chuckle. I laughed softly with him.

"Here are the letters." I said and handed them to him with a shaky hand. Elijah noticed and took the letters, putting them in his coat pocket, and took my hand in his.

"I will make sure that nothing happens to you, Charlotte. You have become one of my closest friends and I will protect you with my life." He said sincerely. "After all, we are to take a trip around the world when you awake." He said with a bright smile.

I smiled back. "Yes, we are. And it will be a trip that you will never forget, Mr. Mikaelson." I said with a grateful smile.

Elijah smiled and led me into the living room.

"Okay, Char, you are going to lay there on the couch." Bonnie said while standing by the table with all of her witchy stuff on it.

"Alright." I said and went to lay down on the couch. "So, what exactly is going to happen? Am I going to go to sleep and then wake up and Immortal, or what?" I asked Bonnie confused.

"That's the part that Elijah and I don't know about." Bonnie said gravely. "The spell doesn't go into great detail about what happens while you are asleep. All we know is the Original Witch contact me when she has granted you approval to become an Immortal." Bonnie explained.

"The Original Witch? As in your mother?" I turned and asked Elijah.

"Yes, my mother." He said with a nod.

"Alright then. How long with a be asleep?" I asked Bonnie.

"That's another thing that we don't know. It could take weeks, Char. Are you sure that you still want to do this?" Bonnie asked one last time.

"I'm sure. I have nothing else to lose anyway. It's either die here doing nothing or die trying to become an Immortal." I said truthfully.

"Alright then, let's do this." Bonnie said. I nodded and lay back on the couch.

"Goodnight, Char. When you wake up, you'll be an Immortal." Bonnie said with a hopeful smile. I tried to smile back, but I felt drowsy and felt my eyes starting to close.

 

I gasped for air and opened my eyes. I quickly stood up and looked around Bonnie's living room. Both Elijah and Bonnie were gone. Did it work? Am I an Immortal? I sighed in relief when I heard Bonnie walked into the room.

"Thank god!" I exclaimed in relief. "Did it work?" I asked her as she walked towards me. I crinkled my eyebrows in confusion when she walked straight past me and ignored me.

"Bonnie?" I asked confused. I gasp horrified when I saw what she was standing in front of. My body. Lying on the couch. Unconscious.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked myself frustrated as I stared at my comatose body.

"Oh, Char…I really hope this works. I can't stand the thought of losing you again." Bonnie said sadly to my unresponsive body on the couch.

"Great, you can't hear me." I said sarcastically as I sat down on one of her chairs dramatically.

I heard the front door open and close and saw Elijah standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Still no change?" he asked Bonnie.

"Nothing." Bonnie confirmed sadly.

"The letters have been delivered to everyone. They should be reading them as we speak." Elijah told Bonnie as he gazed down at my body too.

"I haven't read mine yet." Bonnie said nervously. "I'm too scared to open it."

"Perhaps we should both read our letters before everyone gets here. I guarantee she told them what we planned to do." Elijah advised her.

"Yeah, I-I think I'm going to read mine in my room." Bonnie said sadly, got up, and walked out of the living room. Elijah took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen to read his letter.

I stayed behind in the living room instead of following one of them to give them their privacy.

 

About ten minutes had passed before I heard someone banging on the door. I was lying upside down on Bonnie's chair bored out of my mind when Damon and Stefan came bursting into the living room followed by everyone else.

I noticed tear tracks down Elena and Caroline's cheeks. I sighed sadly knowing that no one could hear or see me.

"What the hell is this, Elijah?" Damon asked angrily as Elijah and Bonnie came into the room.

"This is Charlotte's decision, Damon." Elijah said calmly.

"When did she find out about this?" Elena asked tearfully.

"About three weeks ago." Bonnie said as she hugged Jeremy tightly.

"And there's another thing she kept from us." Damon said annoyed.

"Yeah, well maybe I didn't want to tell you." I grumbled knowing that no one could hear me. I noticed Matt's head snap up and look straight at me.

"Charlotte?" he said confused. Everyone else looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Mattie? Can you hear me?" I asked him hopefully.

"Ohmygod. I can hear you." He said astonished.

"What is Donovan yapping on about? Charlotte is lying there unconscious." Damon asked anyone annoyed.

"I can see Charlotte. And hear her." He said as he walked towards me.

"Really? You can hear me? And see me?" I asked him happily. He nodded. "Okay, if you really can hear me and see me, tell everyone who I am standing by." I added.

"She's standing by Elijah." He said with a smile on his face. I laughed happily.

"Finally! Someone can actually see me!" I said gleefully.

"Matt? You can see her?" Bonnie asked him.

"Yeah, she's happy that someone can finally see her." He told Bonnie.

"Ask her how long she has been here." Bonnie told him.

Matt turned to me. "I don't know. I remember her putting me to sleep and then waking up outside of my body. I tried talking to her and Elijah, but no one could hear me." I explained to him.

He nodded and turned to Matt. "She said that she doesn't know. She remembers go to sleep and then waking up outside of her body. She tried talking to you and Elijah, but no one could hear her." He repeated to everyone.

"Matt, ask Alaric if I made him cry." I asked him. He shook his head quickly. "Come on, Matt!" I pleaded. He sighed.

"What's she saying?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Alaric, Charlotte wants to know if she made you cry." Matt repeated to Ric. Ric turned red.

"What? I didn't cry." Ric denied.

"Liar!" I shouted. Matt laughed.

"What did she say?" Ric asked with a smile.

"She called you a liar…well, more like shouted it at you." Matt explained to Ric. Ric shook his head and chuckled.

"Alright Judgey, explain this process. Charlotte didn't go into great detail." Damon demanded Bonnie.

 

I was standing in the back of the living room as Bonnie explained everything to Damon, Ric, and Stefan. I noticed that Elena clung to Stefan's side and didn't talk to anyone else.

"What's on your mind?" Matt asked me.

"What's wrong with Elena?" I asked him.

"Oh…uh, adjusting to life as a vampire isn't coming easy for her." Matt explained.

"Right, with you, Jeremy, and Morgan here." I nodded understandingly.

"Yeah, but you know Elena. She insisted on coming with Stefan." Matt told me laughing.

"Yeah, that sounds like Elena." I agreed and looked over Damon and the blank look on his face. I huffed and glared at him.

"So, what's with you and Damon? You look like you hate him even more than you used to." Matt asked curiously.

"Let's just say that some words were exchanged in Alabama and some hearts were broken." I said sadly as I still glared at him.

"Who did the heart breaking?" Matt asked cautiously.

"Who do think?" I asked Matt softly.

"I'm sorry, Char." He said with a sympathetic expression on his face.

"Thanks, Mattie. But, it's okay. I knew it would end this way…just didn't know how much it would hurt." I explained to him as Elena pulled Damon with her in the other room.

"I'll be right back, Mattie." I told him and followed Elena and Damon.

"What's wrong Elena?" Damon asked concerned. Elena didn't answer him. She just slapped him upside the head as hard as she could. This resulted in Damon falling on the floor face first.

"What the hell, Elena?!" Damon said angrily as he got up off the floor.

"Read this and you will know why. And when she wakes up, you better fix this with her Damon. I know that you don't love me like that anymore." Elena said leaving Damon speechless and walked back out of the room.

"Elena, you are my hero." I said smiling mischievously.

Damon groaned and sat down to read the letter. I sat down across from him and watched his facial expressions as he read Elena's letter. I watched as they changed from amusement to sadness to regret and to remorse.

"Dammit, Charlotte." Damon whispered softly and shook his head. He folded the letter back up and walked back out to the living room. I followed and went back to Matt's side.

"Where have you been?" Matt asked me.

"I listened in on Damon and Elena's conversation. Don't tell them that though." I explained to him. He nodded.

 

After another hour, everyone reluctantly left Bonnie's house except Elijah.

"Oh, Elijah, what I wouldn't give for at least another person to talk to." I said somewhat sadly.

"Will I do, sweetheart?" A thick British accent said from behind me. I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion.

"Who are you and how can you see me?" I asked confused.

"Niklaus Mikaelson at your service, Miss Buchanan. And I'm dead." He said with a charming smile and kissed my hand.

"Wonderful, the only company I have is a dead, psychotic, hybrid that terrorized my friends for years." I said with a sarcastic smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment because now I know you've heard of me." He said smirking.

"Kind of hard not to. Especially since Elijah's your brother and Elena's blood helped you with your little wolf problem." I taunted him.

"Feisty, I can see why my brother is helping you with your cancer problem." He taunted back.

"Touché, hybrid, touché." I said pleasantly surprised that he wasn't that hard to get along with. "So, why did you chose to come and visit me?" I asked curiously.

"Well, when I hear someone crying out for help, I just feel obligated to help them out." He said smirking.

"I'm sure you're such a model citizen for us all, Klaus." I said sarcastically.

"Well, I'm not one to brag." He said. I scoffed and laughed.

"Seriously, what are you doing here talking to me? From what I've heard, you aren't one to just strike up a conversation with a human at will." I asked him seriously.

"Being dead for a whole year gives an old hybrid time to think and reflect." He started explaining. I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He noticed. "It does. I spent a thousand years running from my father. And for the majority of those years I felt utterly and completely alone."

"Why?" I asked. "You had your family, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I was different. I was the only one of my kind. And I couldn't do a bloody thing about it." He explained more.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked him confused.

"I'm advising you to be careful. If this thing that my brother and the witch are doing works, you will be the only one of your kind. Don't make my mistake and try to make more of your kind. Take it from me, in the end you will end up alone and feared." He explained.

"Thanks." I said gratefully. "So, I'm guessing that a year on the other side has taught you a thing or two about showing your humanity." I teased him.

"Yes and your friend Caroline did too. I suppose she told you about the times she has lectured me." He answered honestly.

"Yup, feisty little thing she is." I said with a teasing smile on my face.

"Quite." He agreed.

"Do you wonder what your life would have been if you weren't such a psychopath?" I asked him.

"All the time. That's the problem with being dead. You have a lot of time to think, but no time to do anything about it." He told me with a remorseful smile.

"You know, Klaus, you're not such a bad guy. Misunderstood and a little psychotic, but not such a bad guy." I teased him.

"Well, I'm certainly touched that you of all people feel that way." He said sarcastically.

"I think that if I was here when you were still alive, we would have gotten along swimmingly." I said mocking his vocabulary.

"Yes, I'm sure we would've." He agreed with the only genuine smile that I've seen on his face. "Give my best to Elijah for me, would you?" he added while staring at Elijah.

"Of course." I agreed. He nodded and disappeared.

I sighed sadly. Alone again.


	27. Charlotte's Ghostly Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie meets someone she never thought she would ever see and overhears a startling confession.

Chapter 23

Charlotte's POV

 

I was up all night all alone. Apparently ghosts or spirits or whatever I am, don't sleep. I occupied my boredom by exploring Mystic Falls and watching over everyone.

I stopped by Elena's house and saw that only Jeremy was home. Then I went by Caroline's house and saw her and Tyler cuddled together. Then I went by Matt's house and saw him sound asleep. I then went by Ric's apartment and saw him and Morgan cuddled together in his bed. I would be saving that information for blackmail later. The last place that I stopped by was the Salvatore Boarding House. I checked Stefan's room and noticed that he was asleep, but Elena was awake next to him.

I heard a loud crash downstairs and ran to see what was going on. I saw Damon in the living room with blood all over his shirt and a broken bottle of bourbon in the fireplace.

"What's going on, Damon?" Elena asked as she came into the living room.

"Nothing that concerns you, Elena." Damon said steely.

"Don't be like that, Damon." I said annoyed.

"Don't be like that, Damon." Elena said softly.

"Wow, took the words right out of my mouth." I told her with a laugh.

"Don't be like what, Elena?" Damon said sarcastically.

"Don't close yourself off." She told him angrily.

"I'm not." He said shortly.

"Yes, you are." She said softly.

"What do you want me to say, Elena?!" he exclaimed. "You want me to tell you that I regret what happened in Alabama?! Guess what, I do. I regret it so much and I can't tell her because she's in a freakin' coma and the only person that can hear or see her is Donovan." He exclaimed angrily. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

Damon took a deep breath and sat on the couch with his head on his hands. Elena walked over to him, sat on the couch, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Damon, she is going to wake up." Elena reassured him.

"I can't lose her, Elena…I can't." Damon said broken. I choked back a sob. My heart hurt just seeing him like this and not being able to do anything.

"You won't. I promise. Bonnie and Elijah will make sure that she lives, okay?" Elena told him trying to reassure him.

"I love her, Elena. When I saw her lying there on that couch, it hit me. And I can't have her die without her knowing." He said with misty eyes. By the time he said this I had tears falling down my face at a rapid pace.

"Why?! Why do you do this? Why do you wait until I'm half dead to finally say something?" I screamed at him angrily. "Dammit Damon!" I screamed and slid down the wall with angry tears running down my face.

 

Eventually, Damon and Elena went upstairs to go to sleep for the night. I stayed right where I was. I had my head against the wall. My eyes were red and puffy and my cheeks were stained with dry tears.

"What if he doesn't really love me?" I asked myself out loud.

"I assure you that his feelings for you are real." A woman's voice said calmly from across the room. My head snapped up to see a beautiful woman with long black hair and sparkling green eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked her with a hoarse voice.

"My name is Elizabeth Salvatore. It's nice to finally meet you, Charlotte." She said with a smile. My breath caught in my throat when I remembered Damon's description of his mother from the story he told me.

"You're Damon's mother?" I questioned surprised. "And Stefan's." I added with a small blush.

"Yes, I am Damon and Stefan's mother." She said smiling softly. Great, two dead ghosts have visited me in the last 24 hours. If that's not a sign that I'm as good as dead, then I don't know what is.

"I'm not trying to sound rude or anything, but what are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I can sense that you have doubts about your feelings for my son." She stated bluntly.

"Yeah well, he kinda tore out my heart a few days ago." I said sarcastically.

"Yes, he did, but he just said that he loved you right now." She said as if everything should be all right now.

"Then why didn't he tell me when I told him?" I asked her seriously.

"My son is the type of person that buries their feelings down deep in their hearts because of previous events." She told me with a sad smile. "Take a walk with me. I want to show you some things."

"Sure." I said with a nod and got up of the ground.

We walked out of the Salvatore Boarding House and into the center of town, right across from the Mystic Grill.

"What are we doing in the center of town?" I asked her.

"I am showing you how Damon got to be how he is now." She said with a soft smile and gestured to the town around us.

It looked just like Mystic Falls, but now it was in the 1860's. I gasped and looked back at her.

"Where are we?" I asked her.

"Mystic Falls, 1863." She answered.

"Why are we here?" I asked her confused.

"To show you how Damon was before a certain vampire played his heart." She said with sad sigh.

"Katherine." I said knowingly.

"Yes, Katherine. I watched my sons over the years. There was nothing that got between them until Katherine Pierce came along." She said as she started walking.

"When does Katherine come in?" I asked her as I caught up with her.

"She does not arrive for another year." She said with a smile.

Eventually, we stopped at large white plantation looking house.

"Where are we?" I asked her confused.

"This is the place that Stefan and Damon grew up. The Salvatore Boarding House was not built until after they died." She explained to me.

"Wow." I said surprised as the front door opened. Out came Damon and Stefan, but human Damon and Stefan.

"I will leave you to explore. I'll find you in about a half hour." Mrs. Salvatore told me and disappeared.

I nodded, but kept my eyes fixed on Damon.

I followed him as he walked around town. He looked so different. He looked so much happier. He actually smiled, not smirked, and greeted people when he walked by them. He helped women when he saw that they needed it and he didn't flirt with them afterwards.

Damon was right. Human Damon was the perfect gentleman. I was impressed, but it made me miss vampire Damon. I missed the snarky comebacks, the flirty comments, and the cocky smirk. Damn you, Damon for making me miss you.

I sighed and followed Damon back to the house, so I could meet back up with Mrs. Salvatore.

"How was your exploration?" she asked as we met up back at front door.

"Interesting, to say the least." I said with a smile. "Your journey?" I added asking.

"Comforting." She said with small smile as the old Salvatore house disappeared and the boarding house took its place.

"Thank you for this." I said with gratitude. She nodded with a knowing smile.

"Well?" she asked knowing that I knew what she was asking.

"We'll see, but don't think he's not getting hell before I give in." I said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." She said with a smirk of her own.

"It was really nice meeting you, Mrs. Salvatore." I said as she stepped closer and hugged me.

"It was really nice meeting you too, Charlotte." She said as I hugged her back and then we pulled away.

"Take care of my sons." She said and disappeared from my sight. I smiled and walked in the house.

 

I walked into the house and noticed my body on the couch.

"Charlotte!" Matt's voice rang out from across the living room.

"Mattie?" I questioned, now noticing him, Damon, Bonnie, and Elijah in the room.

"Where have you been?" he asked me as he came up to me.

"I was exploring." I said lying. I probably should lie, but what was I supposed to say, I was visited by Damon's dead mother and we took a lovely trip to Mystic Falls in 1863? No.

"What's my body doing here?" I asked him.

"Bonnie's dad was coming home and she didn't exactly wanting him walking in on your comatose body on his couch.

"Right." I told him with a nod.

"Well, Donovan? Where was she?" Damon asked impatiently.

"She said she was exploring." Matt told him.

Damon snorted. "More like up to no good." Matt looked to me.

I shrugged. "You try not being able to sleep or interact with other people, you get bored easily." I told him. "Tell Damon he might want to check his bed before he sleeps in it tonight." I told Matt, causing trouble.

"Charlotte says that you might want to check your bed before you go to sleep tonight, Damon." Matt told Damon with a smile. Damon's expression changed before he was out of the room.

"What do you do?" Matt asked me laughing.

"Nothing. Sometimes the best way to torture him is just letting him be paranoid. He's going to be checking his bed all day." I said laughing.

"You're evil." Matt told me.

"I know." I said with a smile.


	28. Happy Birthday, Charlotte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte is visited by another familiar face and a decision is made.

Chapter 24

Charlotte's POV

 

It's been a six days since Bonnie cast the spells on me. It's been five days since I had any more interaction with other ghost/spirits things. Tomorrow is my 22nd birthday. According to my doctor, I wasn't going to live to see my birthday. And technically, I am going to see my 22nd birthday, it just might not be while I'm in my body.

I sighed bored as I watched Bonnie and Elijah perform their daily healing and protection spell on my body. Matt was working so I had no one to talk to today. Damon was sitting in the chair across from the couch watching my body as he did for most of the day.

I noticed a beautiful blonde haired woman standing near Elijah, looking at him with a sad smile.

"Can you hear me?" I asked her.

"Yes, I'm dead." She said without taking her eyes of off Elijah. It clicked who she was in my head.

"You're Rebekah." I said to her.

"So, you've heard of me?" she assumed.

"Yes, Elijah talked about you and your family. And I got some things out of Matt too." I explained.

"I don't get it." I mumbled confused.

"Get what?" she asked.

"Why can only you, Klaus, and Mrs. Salvatore see me? Why not anyone else?" I asked her.

"My mother is only letting a selected few of us interact with you. We are to report back to her about whether or not we think you should live or not." Rebekah explained looking at me for the first time since I noticed her.

"So, I can't see Jenna or Elena's parents?" I asked her sadly.

"No, you actually knew them, so their judgment could be swayed to save you." She explained.

"Oh." I said simply and plopped down on the floor.

"Look, I know it must be disappointing, but you swayed Nik into saving you." Rebekah reasoned with me.

I looked at her suspiciously. "What?" she asked annoyed.

"Nothing, I've just heard very different things about you and none of them were that you were known for comforting humans." I said nonchalantly.

"Yes, well like Nik said, being on the other side makes you open you eyes more." She said with a shrug.

"I think we would have gotten along if I knew you before you died." I told her.

"Why would you think that?" she asked sharply.

"I don't know, from what Elijah told me, we kind of have similar personalities. Minus the being a vampire and love for killing people that annoy me." I explained to her.

To my surprise, she laughed at that. "I suppose we would have been friends. At least you have a better sense of fashion than the rest of your friends. Though I can't say the same about you taste in men." She told me.

"Yeah, I've always have a thing for the heartbreaking assholes." I said sarcastically. We laughed until she suddenly turned serious.

"Can you give Elijah a message for me?" she asked softly.

"Of course. Just tell me what you want me to say." I answered with a smile. She smiled back and started explaining what she wanted me to say.

 

I sighed loudly even though not one could hear me. Only fifteen more minutes until my birthday. I was lying on my stomach watching Damon try not to fall asleep.

"Isn't that sweet? Salvatore fell in love." Klaus taunted as he came into view.

"Great, the Satanist is back." I said sarcastically.

"As if I would worship that worthless myth." He scoffed. "I'm more of a Klausist." He said with a smirk.

I started laughing. "There was so many things wrong with that sentence." I told him.

"Like what?" he asked clueless.

"One, you said as if. What era are you in?" he rolled his eyes as I continued. "Two, you called the devil a myth yet vampires, witches, werewolves, and hybrids roam the world. And three, what the hell is a Klausist?" I asked him.

"A worshiper of Klaus, of course." He said smugly.

"Count me out of that club." I teased him.

"Your loss, darling." He said with a smirk and sat down across from me.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of a second visit from the all powerful hybrid?" I asked him confused.

"Just came to wish you a happy birthday, sweetheart." He said charmingly.

"Right, well you're about ten minutes early on that one." I told him.

"That's alright. I'll just wait here until the clock strikes midnight." He said with a smug smile.

"Of course you will." I said to him. He just smiled smugly.

"So, what was it like roaming the world for a thousand years?" I asked him.

"Lonely." He admitted. "Though it was nice to be able to see the world, you should really bring a companion or two." He added. I smiled knowingly.

"Elijah promised me that he would be my travel buddy when I wake up, but now…" I trailed off.

"Now you don't know what to do with Damon." Klaus finished.

"Yeah." I admitted. "Everything was so much easier when I didn't know that he loved me." I said sighing.

"Are you going to let him interfere with you plans?" Klaus asked.

"No, I want to see the world. I've been confined to such a small place because of my cancer and now that it might be gone…" I trailed off again.

"You want to see what the world has to offer." He finished for me again.

"Yeah, and I don't want to just leave Elijah and take Damon. Elijah's been so good to me and then I go and repay him by ditching him." I explained.

"I wanted to take Caroline to see the world." He said with a sad expression on his face. "She was the first person in my whole lifetime that had the audacity to call my bluff. She saw right through me." He said wistfully.

"Well, if I had been here, I would have totally shipped Klaus and Caroline." I told him truthfully.

"Why? I've killed people that her friends loved." He asked confused.

"Yeah, but once you noticed and started 'fancying' Caroline, have you done anything that intentionally hurt her?" I asked him.

"No." he answered simply.

"Then I don't see a reason why Caroline shouldn't have taken your feelings into consideration. I'm not saying that her standing up for her friends was a bad thing, but sometimes you have to think about you for a change and not about what everyone else is going to say." I explained to him.

"Amazing." He commented with a scoff.

"What?" I asked.

"Where were you when I was alive? It would've been nice to have someone that was actually pro-Klaus." He said with a smirk.

"Sorry, I was too busy dying in West Virginia." I said sarcastically.

I jumped as the grandfather clock across the room chimed, signaling that it is midnight.

"Happy Birthday, Charlotte Buchanan." Klaus said as he stood up. I stood up too.

"Thank you." I said with a small smile.

He pulled something out of his pocket and opened it up.

"I believe a congratulations are in order." He said with a genuine smile.

"For what?" I said him.

"My mother deemed you fit to become the first Immortal to roam the world." He said and opened the small box. In it was a thin diamond bracelet.

"Klaus…" I said speechless.

"Mother said that she had to enchant something for you to return to your body, so I volunteered this. Think of it as a birthday present." He said and clasped it to my wrist.

"Thank you, its beautiful." I said gratefully.

"Your welcome, darling. Make sure to tell my brother hello for me." He said and took a step back and disappeared from my sight.

I gasped as I woke up I looked around and noticed that I was in my body again! I gasped again as I felt a rush of energy pass through me. I looked around for Damon and noticed that he wasn't here.

I heard the shower running upstairs. I gasped again and cover my mouth. I could hear all the way upstairs!

I smirked evilly. I now matched Damon's strength and I could finally torture him as he deserves. I heard the shower turn off and I sped off the couch and knocked over the three vases on the tables to get his attention and hid in the shadows.

I heard his zoom downstairs. He had his back turned to me and I quickly jumped on his back and snapped his neck.

He fell to the floor unceremoniously and I smirked.

"This is going to be fun." I said with a mischievous smirk.


	29. Charlotte's Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie's awake and out for revenge...not really...well the fun kind not the murderous kind.

Chapter 25

Charlotte's POV

 

I smirked as I looked down at my work.

Once I snapped Damon's neck, I flipped him on his back and tied his arms and legs together above his back. Then a shoved a hot poker in his back.

"That'll teach you to give me false hope, cowboy." I said laughing even though he was still unconscious.

I smirked again once I looked down at him and then blurred upstairs to take a shower and change my clothes.

Once I finished getting ready, I started to go downstairs, but I heard Stefan walk in the house and Damon start to wake up.

"What the hell happened to you?" I heard Stefan say.

"I don't know!" Damon said furious. "But when I find out who did this I will make them pay!"

"Where's Charlotte?" Stefan asked worried.

"What?!" Damon exclaimed.

"Charlotte's body is missing. I bet who ever did this to you took Charlotte's body." Stefan thought out loud.

"Now, I'm really going to kill them." Damon said even more furious.

I debated in my head whether or not to tell them that I was alive just yet. I decided that I would. I want to see the look on Damon's face when I tell him that I did it to him.

I blurred down to the living room.

"Well, would you look at that? Damon Salvatore was outsmarted by a newborn Immortal." I taunted him with a smirk.

Both Damon and Stefan's jaws were on the floor.

"You're alive." Stefan said stunned.

"Yup and loving every second of this." I said as I took out my phone. I snapped a picture of Damon. "This is the best birthday I've had in years." I added with a smile.

"Charlotte." Damon said stunned. My smile dropped to a frown and a lump formed in my throat as I remembered what happened when I was a ghost.

"I have to go. I want to go and thank Elijah and Bonnie." I said looking away form Damon. "Stefan, will you untie him for me?"

He nodded and I blurred out of the house and to my car as Damon shouted out my name.

 

I drove to Bonnie's house and nobody was home, so I drove to the center of town and parked across from the Mystic Grill.

I scanned the park for someone and found Elijah walking in one of his suits. I smiled excitedly and blurred over to him without thinking. I jumped on his back and hugged him tight.

He flipped us over and had one hand on my throat thinking I was going to hurt him. I was still smiling even though he was kind of choking me.

His eyes widened and he let go of my throat.

"Charlotte?" he asked thinking I wasn't real.

"It worked!" I said excited and wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He hugged me back and laughed stunned.

"How do you feel?" he asked and pulled back while scanning over me for any changes.

"I feel so full of energy!" I said happily. "I haven't felt like this since I was ten years old, Elijah."

"That means my mother approved." He said with a genuine smile.

"She did! Ohmygod, I feel so different! Its so overwhelming." I explained to him while rambling.

"You will get used to the feeling eventually." He said with a smile. "Have you seen anyone else?" he asked.

"Stefan and Damon because they were at the house." I said with a laugh.

"What did you do you?" Elijah asked with a knowing smirk.

"Snapped Damon's neck, hog tied him, and stuck a hot poker in his back." I said giddily as I showed him the picture on my phone.

"He must not have expected that." Elijah said with a chuckle.

"Nope!" I said excited. "Now, where is everyone? I want to see everybody." I asked him.

"I have no idea. I will call Bonnie and have everyone meet at her house for you." Elijah told me and took out his phone when I nodded excitedly.

 

I blew out a nervous breath as Elijah and I walked up to Bonnie's house.

"Ready?" Elijah asked with a smirk.

"I suppose." I said nervously as he opened the door.

"Charlotte!" Bonnie squealed as she was the first to see me.

"Bonnie!" I squealed back and blurred over to hug her.

"It worked!" she said as she pulled back surprised. I nodded as everyone was cheering happily and hugged the life out of me.

Elena and Caroline pulled me in hugs using their strength now that I could handle it.

Ric did exactly what I thought he was going to do. He yelled at me for doubting myself and then he hugged tightly.

Jeremy, Matt, and Tyler gave me big bear hugs while lifting me up of the ground.

And Morgan tearfully hugged me.

Once everyone calmed down, I took Elijah into another room and gave him Rebekah and Klaus's messages.

He thanked me and we walked back out with everyone, so I could explain everything.

"So, what exactly happened?" Bonnie asked.

"I was visited by some people who died." I told them.

"Who?" Elena asked.

"Rebekah and Klaus. And someone personal." I said not wanting to tell about Mrs. Salvatore until I told Stefan and Damon in private.

"What were Rebekah and Klaus doing there?" Bonnie asked as everyone else listened.

"The Original Witch wanted three open minds from people that I've never met before. They had to tell her if they thought I should become an Immortal or not." I explained to them.

"And they voted in your favor?" Caroline asked surprised.

"Yup. I was surprised myself when Klaus came and told me that I passed this morning." I said with a smile.

"Yeah, then she wakes up and snaps Damon's neck, hog ties him, and shoves a hot poker in his back." Stefan said laughing.

"Best birthday present ever." I said happily. "And I got a picture on my phone."

"Ohmygod! It is your birthday!" Caroline squealed. Oh, crap… "We have to have a party tonight! I will plan everything! It will be at Tyler's house at eight o'clock. Attendance is mandatory." She said and zoomed out of the house.

I shook my head at her antics as everyone else laughed.

 

I asked Stefan to drive me back to the house so I could get ready for the party tonight. I took this opportunity to tell him about his mother.

"Thank you, Charlotte. This means a lot to me." He said and hugged me.

"Your welcome." I said and hugged him back. "Now, I have to figure out how to tell Damon about this." I said with a sigh.

"I recommend after the party. You two can come back here and talk. And I think I'll stay at Elena's house tonight, so you two can talk." Stefan told me.

"Thank you, Stefan." I said gratefully and hugged him.

"Your welcome, Charlotte." He said and kissed my head. "Alright, time to go and get ready for your birthday party."

I groaned dramatically as he led me to the front door. "Do I have to? Can't I just skip it?" I asked with a pout.

Stefan hesitated. "Nope, sorry. It's your birthday, so you have to go."

"You're no fun." I pouted.

"I've been told that once or twice before." He said as he pushed me up the steps.

"Fine, I'll go." I sulked and walked up the remainder of the steps to my room.

"That's the spirit!" Stefan exclaimed as he walked to his room. I huffed and started searching my closet for something to wear.

 

While I was shuffling through my closet, I heard Damon in his room. After remembering what he told Elena a couple of nights ago, I suddenly didn't feel like partying.

I sighed depressed and picked out a graphic tee, a pair of skinny jeans, and a white cardigan. I slipped on my white crochet TOMS and then went to the bathroom to do my makeup.

I put on a small amount of makeup and brushed out my hair. I didn't feel like really doing my hair, so I just put on one of my fedoras.

"Charlotte! Are you ready?" Stefan asked as he knocked on my door.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I said and blurred to my door. "Is Damon coming?" I asked as I glanced towards his door.

"Damon is going to meet us there." Stefan told me as he grabbed his car keys.

"Alright." I said simply as we walked to his car.

 

Once Stefan and I got to the party we were immediately separated. He was taken by Elena and I was taken by Carol Lockwood and Liz Forbes. They both hugged me and told me that Caroline and Tyler explained everything to them.

Then I was pulled away by all of my friends who were torn between wishing me a happy birthday and hugging thankful that I'm alive to see my birthday.

After about a half hour of being inside the house, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I quickly blurred out of the room without thinking. I stopped once I got outside on a balcony.

I gave a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall.

"Are you alright, Charlotte?" Elijah asked as he walked out onto the balcony.

"Yeah, I just-I felt overwhelmed when I was inside." I admitted.

"Understandable." He said with a small smile. "But, I have something to take your mind off of everything." He said and reached into his jacket pocket.

I raised an eyebrow as he pulled out two pieces of paper.

"I figured we should start in London." He said ominously. I gasped as I saw they were plane tickets.

"Really?" I asked making sure they were real.

"Elijah Mikaelson always keeps his word." He said with a smile.

"Ohmygod! This is so exciting." I said and hugged Elijah.

"Happy Birthday, Charlotte." He said and kissed my hair.

"Thank you, Elijah." I said softly.

"There is someone that wishes to see you now." He said as he pulled away. "I will let you know the details of our trip tomorrow." He said and kissed my hand. I smiled softly as he blurred away.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Charlotte Buchanan wasn't dressed up for a party." Alaric said from behind me. I smiled softly and turned around.

"And I never thought I'd see the day when Alaric Saltzman had a lady in his bed." I teased him. He blushed and looked down.

"Touché." He mumbled. I laughed softly and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed.

"I never thought I'd hear you laugh again." He mumbled into my hair.

"I told you that I wouldn't leave you, Ric. You need me." I said with a small laugh and pulled away.

"Yeah, I suppose." He said nonchalantly. I smacked him on his chest and he doubled over in pain.

I gasped. "I'm so sorry, Ric! I forgot that I'm stronger now." I said apologetically.

"That's alright." He gasped out.

After a few minutes, he caught his breath again.

"Are you alright now?" I asked him worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm good." He said with a small smile.

"I guess I underestimated my strength." I mumbled softly.

"Better than you being a fragile weakling." He joked.

"Yeah, I suppose." I said with a smile.

 

After talking to Ric for another hour, I decided it was time to go home. I quickly said goodbye to Ric and weaved my way to the front door, hoping that Caroline didn't catch me.

I breathed a sigh of relief once I made it outside.

"Sneaking out?" a voice said as soon as I shut the front door. I yelped and turned around.

"Damon! What are you doing?" I asked nervously.

"Wondering why the birthday girl is sneaking out of her own party." He said as he walked towards me.

"I don't really feel up to partying tonight." I said with a shrug.

"Need a ride home then?" he asked and pulled out his keys.

"Sure, thanks." I said looking down and walked to his car.

 

The ride back to the Boarding House was a very awkward and silent one. I was nervous the entire time. I knew that if my heart was still beating, it would've exploded from nervousness.

Once he stopped the car, I quickly blurred out of the car and into my room before Damon could say one word.

I let out a shaky sigh and leaned against my door. I took a deep breath and changed because I knew I was going to have to talk to Damon tonight.

I quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants, a white tank top, and my long black knit cardigan. I slipped on a pair of socks and then went to the bathroom to wipe off my makeup.

I took another deep breath and walked out of my room and down the hall to Damon's room.

I closed my eyes and knocked on the door before I lost my nerve.

"Come in." he said softly. I opened the door and leaned against the doorframe.

"Can we talk?" I asked looking down at the floor.

"Sure." He answered. I nodded and walked in the room and shut his door. I walked over and sat at the end of his bed criss-cross style while he was stretched out on the other side of his bed.


	30. Damon and Charlotte's Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon and Charlotte finally have a well-needed conversation.

Chapter 26

Charlotte's POV

 

I closed my eyes and knocked on the door before I lost my nerve.

"Come in." he said softly. I opened the door and leaned against the doorframe.

"Can we talk?" I asked looking down at the floor.

"Sure." He answered. I nodded and walked in the room and shut his door. I walked over and sat at the end of his bed criss-cross style while he was stretched out on the other side of his bed.

I looked down trying to figure out were to begin. I looked up to see Damon looking at me expectantly.

"Sorry, I'm trying to figure out where to begin." I said sheepishly.

"It's alright. Take your time." He said understandingly, a tone I haven't heard much from him.

"Do you remember when I was explaining who the three people were that visited me?" I asked him. He nodded. "And how I said one of them was someone personal?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to tell me who it is." He assumed.

"Actually, I kind of do." I asked to him. He looked at me confused. "It's not someone personal to me as much as it is to you." I started explaining.

"I don't know very many ghosts that actually like me." He said with a lazy smile.

"It was your mother." I whispered.

He sat up fast and scooted closer to me. "My mother?" he asked making sure he heard me.

"Yeah. And I didn't really want to say anything in front of everyone else until I talked to you and Stefan." I explained to him.

"Why did she visit you?" he asked confused.

"According to Rebekah, the Original witch wanted three unbiased opinions on whether or not I should live. So, I'm assuming that she volunteered to give her opinion." I explained to him.

"What did you guys talk about?" he asked as he scooted closer to me. I took a shaky breath and looked down again.

"Is it something bad?" he asked cautiously.

"No, its not bad." I assured him quickly. "She came and visited me after you and Elena talked the other night. She wanted to assure me that your intentions were true." I confessed.

Damon blurred to the other side of the room. I looked over with sad eyes and looked down at my lap again.

"You heard everything?" he asked with no emotion.

"Yes." I said softly. I sighed and got up when he didn't say anything else. "Look, Damon, I don't expect you to-" I started to say, but he appeared in front of me before I could finish.

"Don't say that my feelings aren't real." He said sternly.

"I'm not saying that they aren't real, Damon." I snapped frustrated. "I just saying that maybe you don't love me like I love you. Maybe you said it because you think of me as a friend or a sister and you were afraid to lose me or-mmph." I started rambling but I was cut off by Damon kissing me passionately. I stood there in shock, but after a few seconds I closed my eyes and kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled back, resting his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Charlotte Buchanan. Not like sister and not like a friend. I'm in love with you." He said looking into my eyes.

"Why did you did you reject me in Alabama?" I asked him scared of the answer.

"I was scared." I chuckled as the fear disappeared. He smiled at me. "Yes, Damon Salvatore was scared." He said rolling his eyes. "But, I was scared that if I let you in you were going to die on me. I had two women love me and then leave me. I didn't want a third." He explained truthfully.

I smiled softly and kissed him sweetly. "I'm not going anywhere, Damon." I promised him once I pulled away.

He blew out a sigh of relief. "Can you say it?" he asked. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore." I said slowly so that he could hear me clearly.

"I know. The ladies just can't stay away." He said cockily and kissed my temple.

"And he's back. I was wondering if you really went soft on me, Salvatore." I teased him.

"Never." He said with a smirk. I laughed, but it turned into a yawn. Damon noticed and untangled his arms from my waist and tugged me towards his bed by my hand.

"You're sleeping in here tonight. Now that I have you, I'm not letting you go." He said and pulled me down onto the bed with him.

"Fine, if I must." I said dramatically and cuddled up to him. I buried and my face in his neck while he wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I vaguely heard Damon say that he loved me, but I fell into a deep sleep before I could reply.

 

I woke up the next morning with me lying on my back and Damon on his stomach with his arm across my abdomen. I looked at his phone on the side table and noticed it was already 9:00 in morning.

So, I quietly untangled myself from Damon and blurred to my room to get dressed.

I quickly took a shower and threw on a white graphic tee, a pair of dark skinny jeans, my black cardigan, and my black Jessica Simpson peep-toe heels. I blurred into my bathroom and quickly did my makeup lightly and blow-dried my wet hair. I slipped a black knit beret and I was ready to go.

I blurred downstairs in time to catch Elijah knocking on the door.

"Good morning, Charlotte." Elijah greeted me with a smile.

"Morning, Elijah." I greeted him back and slipped my Blackberry Torch in my back pocket.

"Take a walk around town with me. I have some things I wish to discuss with you." Elijah asked me.

"Sure." I said with a smile and walked outside while shutting the door. "Oh, wait!" I said remembering Damon upstairs. "Be right back."

I blurred back upstairs to my room and wrote a quick note to Damon.

Went out with Elijah. Be back soon. Love you!

-Charlotte

I blurred into Damon's room quietly and set the note on the pillow I used and blurred back downstairs to meet Elijah.

"Ready!" I said and shut the door.

"Alright, what's bothering you?" I asked Elijah and stopped walking. We made it to the center of town and he still hadn't said a word.

"What makes you think something is bothering me?" Elijah asked curiously.

"You haven't spoken a word since we left the Boarding House." I told him with a shrug.

"I won't be able to go on our trip, Charlotte." He said apologetically. My face fell.

"Why?" I asked him sadly.

"A friend of mine came into town last night and she-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Your friend is a girl?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"Yes, but-" he started, but he saw my expression. "I don't know what you are insinuating, Charlotte." He added with a smirk.

"Was she a former lover?" I asked him. He looked at the ground and didn't say anything. "Elijah has a girlfriend!" I squealed excitedly.

Elijah looked up at me with wide eyes. "Well, I don't know-" Elijah started o say again, but I cut him off.

"Aww! Where is she? When did you meet? Why did you break up?" I asked him quickly.

"She is currently in the town square. We met in the late 1500's. And I was on the run from Niklaus and I didn't want her in any danger." He answered my questions with a small smile.

"Aww!" I squealed loudly. Elijah immediately ducked his head again. I swear I saw his cheeks turn a little pink.

"I forgive you for abandoning me, Elijah. You helped me out so much already, you deserve to be happy." I said and gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Charlotte." He said softly and hugged me back.

"I guess I can take Damon on my trip now." I said dramatically, but I was excited on the inside.

"I suppose so. But, I have your tickets right here." He said and pulled them out of his jacket pocket and handed them to me. "And I made a reservation in the finest hotel in London already. Just tell them I sent you and you should be fine." He explained to me.

"Thank you, Elijah." I said with a big smile. He nodded with a smile of his own. "Now, introduce me to your lover." I told him with a big smile. He looked a little nervous and nodded.

 

After meeting Elijah's lover, Annemarie, I ran home to tell Damon the news. I listened for him and noticed that he was still in his bed. I smiled and kicked off my heels at the door and threw my cardigan on the coat rack.

I blurred upstairs and jumped on him once I got in his room.

"And where have you been, missy?" he asked mischievously as he took in my appearance.

"With Elijah." I said vaguely and kissed him softly. I pulled away and smirked. "How do you feel about London?" I asked.

"It's cold and rainy a lot." He said with a shrug.

"Okay, let me rephrase the question." I said while rolling my eyes. "How do you feel about being my traveling buddy for my world trip?" I asked him excited.

"When do we leave?" he asked with a smirk of his own.

"Tomorrow afternoon." I answered with an excited smile.

"What brought this on?" he asked curiously.

"Elijah and I made a deal when he picked me up in Alabama. He would travel the world with me if I became an Immortal because I've always wanted to see the world." I explained to him.

"Is Elijah coming too?" he groaned.

"No, he met up with his former lover and they are getting back together. So, its just you and me." I told him with a big smile.

"Perfect." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Dirty minded vampire." I said and slapped him in the chest.

"Yeah, but I'm your dirty minded vampire." He said softly and stroked my cheek with his knuckles.

"Immortally mine." I whispered softy with a small smile at the choice of words.

"Immortally yours." He whispered back and kissed me.

 

THE END!...

...Minus the Alternate Ending and Epilogue


	31. Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Ending

Chapter 26 (Alternate Ending)

Charlotte's POV

 

I closed my eyes and knocked on the door before I lost my nerve.

"Come in." he said softly. I opened the door and leaned against the doorframe.

"Can we talk?" I asked looking down at the floor.

"Sure." He answered. I nodded and walked in the room and shut his door. I walked over and sat at the end of his bed criss-cross style while he was stretched out on the other side of his bed.

I looked down trying to figure out where to begin. I looked up to see Damon looking at me expectantly.

"Sorry, I'm trying to figure out where to begin." I said sheepishly.

"It's alright. Take your time." He said understandingly, a tone I haven't heard much from him.

"Do you remember when I was explaining who the three people were that visited me?" I asked him. He nodded. "And how I said one of them was someone personal?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to tell who it is." He assumed.

"Actually, I kind of do." I asked to him. He looked at me confused. "It's not someone personal to me as much as it is to you." I started explaining.

"I don't know very many ghosts that actually like me." He said with a lazy smile.

"It was your mother." I whispered.

He sat up fast and scooted closer to me. "My mother?" he asked making sure he heard me.

"Yeah. And I didn't really want to say anything in front of everyone else until I talked to you and Stefan." I explained to him.

"Why did she visit you?" he asked confused.

"According to Rebekah, the Original witch wanted three unbiased opinions on whether or not I should live. So, I'm assuming that she volunteered to give her opinion." I explained to him.

"What did you guys talk about?" he asked as he scooted closer to me. I took a shaky breath and looked down again.

"Is it something bad?" he asked cautiously.

"No, it's not bad." I assured him quickly. "She came and visited me after you and Elena talked the other night. She wanted to assure me that your intentions were true." I confessed.

Damon blurred to the other side of the room. I looked over with sad eyes and looked down at my lap again.

"You heard everything?" he asked with no emotion.

"Yes." I said softly. I sighed and got up when he didn't say anything else. "Look, Damon, I don't expect you to-" I started to say, but he appeared in front of me before I could finish.

"Don't say that my feelings aren't real." He said sternly.

"I'm not saying that they aren't real, Damon." I snapped frustrated. "I just saying that maybe you don't love me like I love you. Maybe you said it because you think of me as a friend or a sister and you were afraid to lose me or-mmph." I started rambling but I was cut off by Damon kissing me passionately. I stood there in shock, but after a few seconds I closed my eyes and kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled back, resting his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Charlotte Buchanan. Not like sister and not like a friend. I'm in love with you." He said looking into my eyes.

"Why did you did you reject me in Alabama?" I asked him scared of the answer.

"I was scared." I chuckled as the fear disappeared. He smiled at me. "Yes, Damon Salvatore was scared." He said rolling his eyes. "But, I was scared that if I let you in you were going to die on me. I had two women love me and then leave me. I didn't want a third." He explained truthfully.

I smiled softly and kissed him sweetly. "I'm not going anywhere, Damon." I promised him once I pulled away.

He blew out a sigh of relief. "Can you say it?" he asked. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore." I said slowly so that he could hear me clearly.

"I know. The ladies just can't stay away." He said cockily and kissed my temple.

"And he's back. I was wondering if you really went soft on me, Salvatore." I teased him.

"Never." He said with a smirk. I laughed, but it turned into a yawn. Damon noticed and untangled his arms from my waist and tugged me towards his bed by my hand.

"You're sleeping in here tonight. Now that I have you, I'm not letting you go." He said and pulled me down onto the bed with him.

"Fine, if I must." I said dramatically and cuddled up to him. I buried and my face in his neck while he wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I vaguely heard Damon say that he loved me, but I fell into a deep sleep before I could reply.

 

I woke up the next morning with my back to Damon's chest and his arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

I smiled when he started kissing my neck and nuzzled it with his nose.

"Good morning." I said with a happy smile.

"A very good morning indeed." He said and flipped me so I we were chest to chest. I smiled, but then pushed him off of me and sat up because I remembered that Elijah and I were leaving for London tomorrow afternoon.

"What? What's wrong?" Damon said with a nervous edge to his voice.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered and put my head on my knees.

"Sorry about what?" he asked emotionlessly thinking that worst.

"Elijah and I are leaving." I said with tears gathering in my eyes.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" he asked, his voice mixed with nervousness, fear, and anger.

"When Elijah picked me up in Alabama," I started, but saw him wince at Alabama, "I decided that I was going to take his offer of becoming an immortal. And then I asked him if he would like to travel the world with me." I explained. Damon had a blank look on his face. "I figured since we both had nothing really here, he could show me the world. And so, he bought two tickets to London for my birthday." I explained further.

"And now I'm holding you back." He said emotionlessly.

"No, Damon you are not holding me back." I almost snapped at him. "I finally feel happy and I'm not going to ruin that." I said and quickly got out of bed.

"Where are you going, Charlotte?" he said as frustrated as I feel.

"I'm going to talk to Elijah." I said and walked to my room. I heard Damon blur into my room just as I opened the door.

"You're going on this trip, Charlotte." He said sternly. I sighed and remembered what I told Klaus.

"I don't know what I'm going to do." I confessed with a confused sigh and slid down the wall.

Damon came over and sat down next me against the wall. "I do, so listen up." I glared at him for his commanding tone. "You are going on this trip with Elijah. And I'll be here waiting when you get back." He explained to and pulled me into his lap. I sighed and buried my face in his neck.

"I'm going to miss you." I told him trying not to cry.

"You'll be distracted enough by all of the fascinating cities that you won't have time to miss me." He told me and started to run his fingers through my hair.

 

It was the day before my trip and Damon has my whole day planned out. From now until four o'clock, I was going to spend time with the girls. They were going to help me pack and then they were going to help me get ready for my date with Damon tonight. Damon wouldn't tell me what we were doing. So, I am currently waiting for the girls to get here by myself because Damon left to finalize plans for our date.

"Charlie! We have arrived!" Caroline shouted through the house as they walked in.

"I'm in my room!" I shouted back.

"I can not believe that you are with Damon Salvatore." Caroline said as she burst into my room. I laughed at her bluntness.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either." I told her as everybody followed her into the room.

"Thank you for getting together with Damon last night. I just won a bet!" Elena said with a smirk.

"Elena!" I exclaimed.

"What? It's Stefan's fault for making the bet." She said laughing.

"How much did you win?" I asked him.

"It doesn't involve money." She said shyly. We all made a face.

"Vampirism has made Elena bolder!" Bonnie exclaimed. We laughed at Elena's shy look.

"I think that you and Damon make a great couple, Charlotte." Morgan told me.

"Thank you, Morgan." I told him with a smile. "See, this is what a best friend is like! They support their best friend's relationship, no matter how much of an ass the man is." I told them. We all laughed.

"Alright, let's get packing!" Bonnie said excited.

"I can't believe you are traveling around the world." Caroline squealed. "I'm trying to convince Tyler to go to Paris with me." I looked over at Caroline and saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Well, Elijah and I aren't going to consistently travel for a year since I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. So, why don't just us girl's take a trip somewhere." I suggested nonchalantly. Caroline's eyes light up and she squealed.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Char." Elena said with a wink.

"Think about where you want to go." I told them.

"Ireland!" Morgan said excitedly.

"Ooh, I agree with Morgan." Bonnie said with a smile.

"I'm fine with anywhere, as long as it's not within the walls of the United States." Elena said with a smile. We all turned to Caroline.

"As long as I am away from Mystic Falls, I'm all in to go anywhere." She said with an excited smile.

"Ireland, here come two vampires, an Immortal, a witch, and our lawyer!" I teased. We all laughed.

"I'm just glad that I'm the lawyer." Morgan teased.

 

After five hours, the girls and I had my bags packed and I dressed up for my date.

"How do I look?" I asked them nervously and slowly spun around.

"Stunning." Bonnie said with a bright smile.

"Beautiful, Charlotte." Morgan said happily.

"Amazing, Char." Elena complimented me.

"Damon's not going to be able to keep his hands off of you." Was Caroline's response. We all laughed.

"Thanks, guys." I said nervously. "Any idea where he is taking me by chance?" I asked them hoping to get a response.

They all shook their heads with smirks on their faces.

"Some best friends." I mumbled.

"Trust me. You're going to love it." Caroline said with a secretive smile.

"I suppose I'll just have to take your word for it." I said with mock sadness and the doorbell rang. They all squealed.

"He does know that this is his house, correct?" I asked them as they ushered me downstairs. They all rolled their eyes and pushed me towards the door.

I smiled and opened it to reveal a very handsome Damon Salvatore.

"You do know that this is your house, right?" I quipped. Damon laughed.

"You wouldn't be the woman that I love without your sarcasm." He said and leaned in to kiss me. I kissed him back eagerly, but it was cut short by the four cleared throats behind us. Damon smirked as I looked down sheepishly.

"We'll be going now. Don't destroy my house." Damon told them and ushered me out the door.

 

We walked to his car, but before I could get in Damon had me pushed up against the door kissing me passionately.

We broke away after a few minutes panting.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Damon asked with a smirk.

"Not yet, but I'm sure you will." I told him with a smile.

"Well then, Charlotte Buchanan, you look absolutely stunning tonight." He said as his eyes filled with love and passion.

"And you Damon Salvatore look incredibly handsome tonight." I said back to him and kissed him again.

"We have to stop or we'll never leave the house." He said between kisses.

"Fine." I pouted and pulled away from him. He smirked and opened the passenger door for me and blurred to the drivers side.

 

Ten minutes later, Damon was parked at the Mikaelson Mansion and I was confused.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him curiously.

"Your table awaits you inside, Miss Buchanan." He said and kissed my hand. I smiled giddily and turned towards the door when he was already standing beside me with the door open. I smiled in thanks and accepted his hand.

Dinner was perfect. Turns out it wasn't inside. It was outside in the magnificent gardens. I was blown away at what Damon set up in such a short amount of time.

At the end of dinner, I was a little depressed. Elijah and I were the next morning and I had to leave Damon. After skirting around each other for a while, it felt nice to just be open with each other.

Damon and I hardly slept that night. As soon as we got home and changed, Damon and I laid down. My head was on his chest and his arms were wrapped around my waist super tight. If I was human and still sick, some of my bones would have been broken for sure.

But, I eventually had to get up and get dressed. Damon silently followed me around as I did.

As soon as Elijah knocked on the door, Damon had me pulled into a bone-crushing hug. He told me to have fun and not to miss him too much, throwing in some sarcasm into a sad goodbye. We whispered our love for each other and he kissed me as if he wasn't going to ever see me again. (Trust me, that's what it felt like all night.) I might have shed a few tears, but he and I put on small smiles knowing that once I got back from my trip we would be okay.

Damon stayed at the house while Elijah took me to say goodbye to everyone else at Elena's house. We decided that we probably should say goodbye at the house or he would try and persuade me to stay and I just might listen.

"Charlotte?" Elijah questioned from right next to me bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked him clueless.

"Welcome to London." He said with a smile.

I smiled happily as I looked out the airplane window and down at London below. I felt nervousness and excitement and amazement buddle up together inside me.

"It's amazing." I whispered as I finally felt free of everything that has happened to me over the past seven years.

"Just wait until we hit the ground." Elijah told me. I smiled back at him giddily, forgetting for a moment that I left my boyfriend back in Mystic Falls.

 

Two weeks into London and I was breathless. It was an amazing city, huge, but nevertheless amazing. It was like New York City back in the states.

Elijah and I had already seen all of the incredible sights. And he showed me some things that he had personally found over the years. He took me to the smaller places around England too.

I was currently sitting in my room in the suite that Elijah booked us.

"Charlotte." Elijah called out from behind me door even though he could hear me.

"Come in." I told him.

"I'm meeting up with a friend right now. Will you be alright here?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah, sure." I assured him raising an eyebrow at his nervousness. "Is this friend a vampire?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, we met in the 1500's. She has been-" he started, but I jumped out of bed and blurred over to him.

"This friend is a woman?" I asked him coyly.

I swear he blushed. "Yes." He said uncomfortable.

"Is she your girlfriend?" I teased him childishly.

"I did court her in the 1500's when Klaus and I were here, but we stopped seeing each because I needed her safe from Klaus at the time." He explained nervously.

"Why are you so nervous?" I asked slyly.

"No reason." He told me with a calm demeanor.

"Mm-mh. Do you need me to be gone when you get back? I can find something to do for a few hours if you are going to bring her back." I told him wiggling my eyebrows. He looked taken aback.

"I know what you're insinuating Charlotte and I would never-" he started to lecture.

"Oh, come on, Elijah. It's been over 500 years. You really think that she just wants to be friends if she's meeting you for the first time after Klaus died." I explained to him the method of girl logic. He gave me a doubtful look. I sighed.

"Do you still love her?" I asked. He nodded without hesitation. "Does she still love you?" I asked.

"I certainly hope so." He said nervously.

"Then I really don't see a problem." I told him. He still looked nervous. "Look Elijah, you deserve to be happy. After everything you've done for others in your looong lifetime, you deserve to finally have something in return." I explained to him gently. He smiled hopefully.

"Thank you, Charlotte." He said grateful.

I waved it off teasingly. "Off you go. I have a phone call with Damon right now and you have a date."

"Alright." He said reassuring himself and smiled. I smiled as he was out the door and my phone started vibrating.

"Hello!" I answered excitedly.

"Somebody's happy to hear my voice today." Damon teased. I smirked.

"No, it's not you. It has something to do with Elijah." I teased him with real information.

"Oh, really." Damon said deflated.

"Elijah has a girlfriend." I blurted out because I couldn't keep it in.

"What?!" he asked in disbelief. "How the hell did he manage to do that?"

"I don't know, but I think it's great. They met in the 1500's and he had to leave her so Klaus didn't kill her. It's like Romeo and Juliet, but everyone's alive in the end." I told him with a smile.

Damon scoffed. "I'm in love with a hopeless romantic."

"Yeah, and you better get used to it." I teased him.

"So, when are you guys leaving dreary London?" he asked with a sigh.

"In a week. We explored London, Wales, parts of Scotland, and I few historical cities around England." I explained.

"So, where to next Ireland?" he asked.

"Nope. That is a trip the girls and I made to go together." I told him.

"You're going to leave me again?" he mock whined.

"Yes, but this time I'm only going to be gone for two weeks max." I comforted him. "Anyway, next is France! We are going to Paris and Versailles for a few weeks."

"The city of love." Damon grumbled.

"Well if all works out with Elijah and his mystery lover, then you won't have to worry about being jealous." I teased.

"I'm not jealous." He muttered. I scoffed, but let it go.

"How's everybody doing in Mystic Falls?" I asked curiously.

"Well, Stefan is helping Elena adjust to life as a vampire; Blondie dumped Wolfie after she caught him with another Wolfie from Florida; Morgan moved in with Ric; Bonnie has been spending the night with Gilbert; and Blondie has been cleaning out the Grill's supply of liquor." He explained.

"Okay, one, how do you know the all the gossip? And two, Tyler did what?" I asked confused.

"Blondie became mine and Ric's new drinking partner." He said nonchalantly.

"I have to call Caroline! And Ric!" I told him excited.

"You can call them after. This is me time." He told me smugly. I laughed.

"Then, what does the almighty Damon want to talk about?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure we can find something to entertain each other." He said seductively.

"I am not having phone sex with you." I told him popping that dream.

"Now, why do you already assume that I was talking dirty?" he asked mock offended. I laughed.

 

A few days later I finally convinced Elijah to let me meet Annemarie. And by convinced, I mean I badgered him until he caved.

And let me tell you that she was perfect for Elijah. She helped him get out of his comfort zone and loosen up enough without changing him.

That was two days ago and now I am waiting at an empty airport for Elijah. Apparently he has an important package coming in and someone needs to pick it up. Why is Elijah not here for his own package? Because he and Annemarie are attached at the hip. But, who can blame them, after being separated for more than 500 years.

"Miss Buchanan, the plane has just arrived and the package will be down shortly." A flight attendant informed me.

"Thank you." I said politely and mentally jumped for joy. After this, I can leave. Finally!

I stood up and tried not to look annoyed and ready to leave.

"Impatient as always, Miss Buchanan." I froze and tried to process that voice. Damon? Damon…Damon!

I spun around and saw Damon Salvatore. My Damon Salvatore standing there with a suitcase and leather jacket in hand.

I stood there stunned and Damon, of course, had a smug smirk on his face.

He mock gasped and had a shocked look on his face. "Did I just stun the great Charlotte Buchanan to silence?"

That snapped me out of my silence real quick. "Dream on, Salvatore." I sassed back and quickly closed the distance between us, kissing him.

Damon quickly let go and pulled me closer so there was virtually no space between us. But, before he could deepen it, I pulled back.

Damon groaned and tried to follow. "Wait, wait, wait. What the hell are you doing here? I though Elijah had a super important package coming?"

Damon got a cocky look on his face and responded, "What am I not important enough for you?"

I looked at him skeptically until it donned on me. "Elijah set me up. Damn, he's good."

"And she finally figures it out. Elijah thought for sure that you were onto him." Damon told me. "He figured since he reunited with Annemarie and you're guys next stop was Paris…you shouldn't go to the city of love without the person you love."

I smiled at Damon happily. "I'm really glad you're here, Damon." I told him softly.

"Me too. And I can't wait to go to Paris with you. And anywhere else you go, I'm following you, for the rest of our immortal lives." He declared seriously.

"Immortally mine." I whispered softy with a small smile at the choice of words.

"Immortally yours." He whispered back and kissed me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's it. But, thanks to everyone who reviewed, read, followed, and favored this story. It really means a lot. :)


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